Father Dearest
by Cinerari
Summary: CWZ & SSX-verse; There isn't much left of Zero's mind, but he remembers he had a family, and he remembers that they loved him. He just needs to get his family back. Then he can be happy. And if they don't accept him? Well...he'll make sure they do.
1. Father Punishes

**I...really like writing characters going crazy. And uh, Zero's really, really crazy in this. There are major character deaths in this and a little gore. I got a request to post this, so here you are. Crazy Zero in all his desperate for love glory. **

**This is a crossover of three Leijiverse series, and trying to get the continuity to work properly was a headache, but I did the best could. I'm really sorry for any mistakes and hope you enjoy your read.**

* * *

The room felt wrong. There was nothing particularly incorrect about it overall. No, it was simply a living room. It just wasn't a living room Tadashi was supposed to be in, and everything about it was making his skin crawl.

The air was damp with the smell of bleach and other cleaning chemicals, and patches on the carpet had either been stained white or cut out and replaced with different patterns of flooring. It resembled an uneven quilt in a way. Random blotches on the wall had been gone over again and again with completely different paint hues than the original light yellow. It all seemed…off.

The young pirate tugged on the chain binding his wrist again, but it offered no give. Digging through the couch cushions the chain disappeared into showed the other end to be snapped onto a metal bar within. He growled, pulling until his wrist felt close to breaking. Damnit.

It wasn't even as though it was his fault this time. He'd been at a market restocking their food. He'd been doing his job. Then…everything had just started to swim. He must have passed out, because he couldn't remember anything after that.

He tensed in preparation as the only door to the room swung open on the wall to his right, but the man standing there smiled at the sight of him. "Oh, you're up, little one. That's good. I was starting to worry."

Whoever he was, he was taller than the captain. His hair was somewhat unkempt, auburn locks curling messily around his tired, russet eyes. His nose was a bit long, though it fit his face. He was also as broad-chested as the captain beneath the wine-red shirt he wore.

Tadashi thought he might have been intimidating if not for how pale his skin was and how flighty his movements were. His hands couldn't seem to stay in one place for more than a few seconds, and his bloodshot eyes flickered from the young pirate to every corner of the room. He started slightly as Tadashi spoke.

"Why am I chained up?"

The man glanced away as though ashamed. "Well, so you don't go anywhere. It would be dangerous for you to just run off."

"Dangerous? Why? What's going on? Where am I!? Who are you!?"

The man took a nervous step back under the assault of questions. "Y-you're home, little one," he offered, slowly moving toward the glowering pirate. "I'm-"

"Home?" the brunette screeched. "Where's the captain? Where's the Arcadia!?"

The stranger froze, his eyes glazing over. "Ar…cadia?"

"Yes…" Tadashi frowned warily. "The Arcadia – my ship."

The man slowly returned to reality. "Your ship?" he frowned. "No, you live here…with me." He placed his hand to Tadashi's shoulder, flinching as the boy tore away from his grasp.

"Don't touch me! What the hell is wrong with you? I don't live here!"

"You do!" the man pleaded. "You're…You're my boy. I'm sorry, but your mother's resting right now. Please don't play around like this. I-I'll go get her for you in a bit. Just please stop."

"You're crazy," Tadashi hissed. "Let me go!"

The stranger looked close to tears. He clutched his face, messing his hair. "Why do you keep doing this? I don't understand. D-did I do something wrong? Do you need something? I-I'll get you whatever you want, so please stop this."

This guy was almost pitiful, and the pirate wasn't really sure what to think of him. "You're fucking insane," he muttered. "I don't know who you think I am, but my name is Tadashi Monono, and I don't know you. Now let me go!"

The man's eyes deadened. "Stop this," he commanded, his voice suddenly cold.

The air held a suspended note of tension as Tadashi bit his tongue. He was unarmed, and this guy really was crazy. Maybe it was best not to tick him off.

"Listen to me," the boy attempted, his voice calm and careful. "I think you're mistaking me for someone else – your son I guess. I'm not-"

He cut off with a strangled gasp as the man's hand shot to encircle his throat. The pirate clawed at the violent grip, his eyes watering and rolling back against the sudden lack of air. Small choking sounds were all he could manage as his windpipe was crushed painfully shut.

"Why won't you accept me?" the man hissed. "I'll do anything for you, but you just keep pushing me away. I just want to be happy. I just want…"

Tadashi's vision was blacking out. His hands slipped from the one around his neck as unconsciousness began to take hold. This was it? This was his death? No, this couldn't be. How unfair.

The grip vanished, and he was left choking and coughing in a desperate bid for breath. His throat felt raw and ached at the effort of breathing. Bruises had already begun to blossom across his skin.

The stranger too was gasping for air. He clutched the hand he'd almost killed with to his chest, his knuckles white with the effort. "I don't want to have to do this, little one. Please don't make me. Let's not do this again. W-we can be happy. I'll take care of you. H-here." His hazy eyes brightened. "I'll make you something. You must be starving."

Tadashi knew he had to leave. He had to get out or this guy would kill him. "Why don't you let me make you something?" he offered, his voice a hoarse whisper.

The man smiled as though he'd never been offered something so kind in his life. "No, that's alright. I suppose I haven't been taking good care of you lately. I-it's no wonder you've been so upset with me. I'm sorry. Here, let me fix that."

Tadashi was left alone again for some time. He couldn't tell how long. There were no clocks or even decorations of any kind. The room only held the couch in the center and a coffee table in front of it. He'd simply have to wait for some opportunity to make a break for it, because it didn't look like the captain would be coming after him any time soon.

His ears perked up to a low conversation in the other room. He couldn't distinguish anything until the two voices drew closer. The deeper of the two was obviously the same nut from before. He pled softly with the other. "No, you don't need to be upset. It's alright now. I found him. He's back."

But the cold voice of the woman responded with an edge of rage to her calm. "He's not back. He can never be back. You killed him. Stop living in your delusions, Zero."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the man who must have been Zero twittered in a laugh.

The door opened, and he pulled a young woman in. His grip was surprisingly gentle as he held the crook of her arm but she was allowing him to lead her. She reminded Tadashi of Emeraldas somewhat. She had a similar face and that same shimmering waterfall of hair in a golden blond. Her eyes were sea foam green, turned down in anger. When they moved to him, sadness drowned out her anger.

"See?" Zero offered nervously. "You don't need to be so upset with me. He's right here."

"No, Zero," she whispered. "That's not him. I don't know him, but you need to let him go."

The man's movements turned jittery again, and he quickly shook his head. "I-it's him. It is!"

"Calm down," she breathed. "Not in front of the boy. Don't do this in front of him."

"I-I need to go check on dinner," he nodded jerkily.

He left her with the young pirate, closing the door behind him. She strode up to the couch, walking with a graceful ease. "I'm sorry about this," she sighed, bringing a hand up to place against his cheek. "I'm so very sorry."

"It's not your fault that guy's crazy," he huffed, blushing under her touch.

"It's not his fault either. He didn't deserve this." Tears filled her eyes. "Oh, you do look so much like him. I'm sorry."

"Hey don't cry! Uh, I'm sure we'll be fine. My captain will probably show up soon, and he'll save us." His blush only worsened as she leaned down to hug him.

"I hope he does. I hope he'll take you away from here, but I'm sorry. I won't be going with you. I don't have much time left here." She pulled away and took a seat at his side. "I am Maetel."

"Well, I'm Monono," he frowned. "But why can't you come with me?"

She shook her head. "I simply don't have enough time. Let me use what I have to help you, Monono." She sighed deeply. "That man is Warrius Zero, and as long as you act like he wants, you'll be alright."

"I'm not going to act like anything that freak wants me too," Tadashi snapped.

"Just like him," she murmured airily, smiling as though it pained her. "And I'd love to tell you to keep fighting. I wish I could, but I don't want you to lose your life. You don't deserve it. You don't deserve any of this. Now let me explain before he comes back."

Tadashi gave in with a slight pout. She didn't deserve this either, but he decided to let her speak.

"At one time Zero had a wife and child, and his mind has become lost in the delusion that he still does. To him, you are his child, and the more you refuse to accept that, the more he teeters on the edge. He doesn't want to kill you. Honestly, he doesn't want to kill anyone, but he can't help it. That's no excuse of course. He deserves to be punished for what he's done, and I'm certain he'd want to die for all of it if he were in his right mind."

Footsteps approached them, and Maetel's expression fell once more. "So do your best to act as he wishes until you've earned his trust. Then, when you have a clear opportunity, please kill him, Monono. I know it's so much to ask, but I'm afraid you have no other choice."

"No!" he gasped. "My captain will save us!"

"Your captain sounds like a good man," she smiled. "Who…Who is he?"

"His name is Harlock," Tadashi grinned. "I'm sure you've heard of him."

Tears filled her eyes again. "Yes, of course. I'm sure you look up to him."

"Well, yeah. I wish I could be more like him. I bet he could get out of this." The captain would probably be better at keeping her from crying too. Tadashi could only watch as a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks. Had he said something wrong?

"I hope he does come save you," she whispered as the dull, thudding footsteps neared. "I sure hope you get all you ever dreamed of, Monono."

Zero was shaking even more than before when he opened the door. The tray of food in his hands rattled from his wildly trembling hands. "It's getting worse," Maetel murmured, though her eyes held a cold hatred for him. No pity leaked into her gaze.

"What's getting worse?"

"Whatever it is that he fights. He's losing."

The shaking man placed the tray of food out for them, looking much like a young child searching for approval. "I'm sorry it's a bit messy," he offered. "But it does taste good, I promise."

While the presentation was sup-par, Tadashi had to admit that it did look good, and he was starving. Under Zero's expectant gaze and Maetel's slight nod, he took the plate of asparagus and some sort of fish.

"A-are you going to eat, dear?" Zero smiled as Tadashi took a bite of his fish. A bit dry really, but it didn't taste poisoned.

She shook her head. "Zero, you know my name. I told you it."

"Why o-of course. I-it's-"

"Not your wife's name. My name. Maetel."

"Why are you doing this?" he choked, crushed. "Stop, please. Just stop."

"Look at me, Zero," she commanded, standing. "I'm not your wife. I am Maetel! Your wife is dead. You can't replace her!"

The man's movements only became more jittery. He tangled his hands into his hair, trying to block her out. "Stop, stop! I-I don't know why you're saying this! I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Haven't done anything wrong?" she hissed icily. "You killed Tetsuro. You killed him! Don't you remember that? Zero, I'm certain there's still some of you left. Stop living in your fantasy. It may hurt, but you must come back to reality! If you don't, you're going to kill Monono, just like the rest of them."

He stilled, his eyes hidden by his ruffled bangs.

Maetel softened her voice. "Zero, I won't let you hurt anyone else. I know you wouldn't want to. Look at me."

"You're not…my wife," he whispered, his voice trembling.

She breathed a hopeful note. "That's right."

"W-who are you? Who are you!?" His eyes flashed up, shining in rage. His hand shot forward, grabbing a fistful of hair. Maetel winced, but didn't let out a sound.

"Stop!" Tadashi begged, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of a plate shattering against the table. Zero raised the fractured piece of china up.

"How dare you. How dare you!?" He jerked her thin form forward, embedding her stomach on the jagged edge of the white stone.

She gave a slight gasp, while Tadashi stood transfixed. This wasn't…this couldn't be happening.

"Y-You're one of them, aren't you!?" Zero roared, jerking the blade out only to plunge it back in again. "You're one of those machines! You work for her – don't – you!?" His words were punctuated by stab after stab. To her stomach, to her chest.

"Give me back my wife! Give her back!" he demanded.

Tadashi suddenly found it hard to breathe.

Maetel was thrown against the wall where she crumpled to the ground, her eyes shining dully with pain. But as Zero turned on the young pirate in a vengeful rage, she began pushing herself to her feet.

"No, Zero," she choked. "Don't hurt him." Fresh tears began to escape her eyes. "You've taken all that's precious to me, so go ahead. Harm me all you want! I won't let you have him!"

She staggered toward him, blood dripping from her lips, covering so much of her. It painted her black dress in shimmering streaks, but she showed little care. "Make it hurt," she commanded. "It is my penance."

All of Zero's rage had faded to a dangerous calm. His face held no expression as he turned and jammed the blade into her throat, twisting it slowly.

"M-Maetel," Tadashi managed through a sob. "Maetel!"

The bloodied piece of dinnerware was suddenly and mercilessly pulled out. The young woman took a step back, her hand slowly coming up as she stretched it toward the crying boy. The ghost of a forgotten name slipped across her lips as she smiled. Maybe she'd see him soon.

As she collapsed, so did Tadashi, sobbing in agony. This wasn't right. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. There was so much blood. Dear god. He found himself stuck, staring at the gaping gash in her neck.

He couldn't even react as the strong, bloodied set of arms encircled him. "What's the matter, little one?" a confused voice questioned. "Don't cry. It's alright. I've got you."

* * *

**Ooops, I killed the protagonists of Galaxy Express. Sorry about that... At least they won't be the only ones dying.**


	2. Father Apologizes

**I'm too sleepy to embarrass myself with a silly author's note. This chapter contains Harlock having an obvious man-crush and Zero further abusing children. Woo!**

* * *

How many times did Harlock need to tell everyone to always go out with a communicator? This was starting to become less irritating and more worrisome.

"Sorry, Captain," Kei sighed through her own communicator. At least she was reliable. "I can't find either of them."

"Have you asked around town?" Harlock frowned. They'd already been looking for three hours, but Rebi and Tadashi had apparently just dropped off the map. Sure the two had a habit of disappearing, but usually not for this long.

"I did," Kei answered. "And a few people said they'd seen them, but no one knows where they went."

The men on the bridge looked to their captain expectantly until he gave in with an inaudible sigh. "I suppose we'll all need to go out and search."

A few stifled groans as they all shuffled out toward the dusty town. It could have been a trap to lure them out, but the captain didn't care. He would get his youngest crewmen back.

There wasn't much to search though, no obvious trails or signs. He knew they'd gone to the market district while he and Tochiro had looked into a few repairs, but they hadn't communicated since parting ways hours before.

This planet had short revolution, and it was already night as they scanned the mostly-empty streets. Maybe it would have been better if a kidnapper had left a trail, because Harlock was simply at a loss as to where to search.

Luckily, he didn't need to bother. A small bundle of fur darted past his feet and raced down an alley. "I thought maybe Mi-kun would be able to find Rebi for us," Dr. Ban shrugged as he stepped up behind the captain.

Harlock didn't need further prompting, and he briskly took off after the feline. Something felt horribly wrong about the whole ordeal. His chest was itching with an anxiety that even seeing Emeraldas kneeling in front of the lost girl couldn't ease.

"Rebi," he called before adding a slow "Emeraldas?" He hadn't known she'd been in this area, and there was an odd anger to her eyes. She didn't seem to be comforting the young girl. It looked more like an interrogation.

"Harlock," the red-head snapped in greeting. Rebi ran to him, taking hold of his hand and hiding herself behind his leg. Before he could ask any questions, Emeraldas continued sharply. "He's already gone. I told you this would happen, Harlock. I told you not to leave him there."

"You're not talking about Tadashi," he frowned.

"Brother!" Rebi wailed.

"No," the female captain hissed. "I'm referring to Zero."

What was going on? Harlock hadn't seen Zero in over three years. Not since he'd taken the older man back to Earth.

"Would you mind giving me an explanation before you start making accusations?" he demanded. "I don't understand what you're so upset about. Where's Tadashi?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, attempting to stare the other captain down. "I don't know where he is, but I know who he's with."

"…Zero?" Harlock inferred. "You're not making any sense."

"You remember, don't you? You dropped him off on Earth, left him to the government, but he wasn't well. There was something very off with him – I told you there was. I told you to put him in an asylum at the very least."

Of course Harlock remembered that. They'd nearly gone to blows over the subject. Probably would have if Tochiro hadn't stopped them.

Zero deserved better than being locked in a sanitized prison, but there was no one on Earth to take care of him. There was no one left for him. The best Harlock could do for the quiet, broken man was to leave him in the hands of the government he'd defended for so long. Then again, maybe it would have been better to kill him, but it wouldn't have been right.

"So what happened?" he questioned, feeling tired.

"He's completely lost it," she growled. "I've been trying to track him for weeks since he took Maetel."

The itch in his chest grew into a hollow pain. "Took?" he echoed

"The conductor told me. He knocked her out with something and just took her away. Barely left a trace, so I can't find him. I expected him to be somewhere in this area, so I stuck around and caught a sign of a little firefly ship that I put a tracking signal on. Of course it disappeared not too long after he landed here."

"But Zero would never hurt her. Maybe he just needed her help."

"He kidnapped Maetel and another passenger aboard the 999. Now he's taken one of your crew. Don't kid yourself, Harlock. I dug out his medical reports. He's labeled as unstable and dangerous."

That was news to Harlock. Zero really hadn't recovered? It just didn't seem possible, none of it. "You're so sure it was him?" the male asked slowly.

"It was, Captain," Rebi sniffled, wiping the messy tears from her face. "H-he took Brother."

"Did you see him?"

"I-I didn't see him take Brother, but I did see him. I thought he was sick because he was all white and shaking. I asked him if he was okay. I guess he didn't hear me cause he didn't answer, but he kept looking at Brother. I-it's all my-my fault!"

She began to sob again, racking her small frame with each gasping breath. Her cat wormed back and forth across her legs as though trying to distract her. "You shouldn't talk to strangers, Rebi," Harlock scolded lightly. Luckily Dr. Ban arrived to gather the crying girl up. Tochiro followed at his heels.

"Emeraldas?" the short man gawked.

"Something's come up," Harlock interrupted. "We won't be leaving this area yet."

"Huh? What is it?" He glanced around. "Did we find Tadashi?"

No one answered. The captain's thoughts were lost to the past, to the last time he'd seen the Independent. Of course there'd been something wrong with Zero. After all he'd been through, it only made sense. He'd been off, but Harlock had been assured it was just a bad case of PTSD that would fade soon enough.

The older captain had been murmuring to himself while on the Death Shadow, but when they arrived at the government's offices he'd spoken clearly, his eyes still dull. "Harlock," he'd smiled. "Since we're on Earth, would you like to meet my wife?"

They sat together in the government's massive lobby. The area felt secluded and empty despite the dozens of other people scurrying around it. The lighting and walls were a blinding, stale white that only further brought out the raw disturbances in the elder captain's face.

"Zero…" The pirate was at a loss for words.

"Or maybe that's a bad idea. She'd probably get onto me for not telling her beforehand. Always likes to have things ready for company." He laughed softly. "I'm sure she'd like you though. She's always been fond of the people that keep me out of trouble. But you wouldn't want to deal with me just fawning over the baby."

"Zero!" Harlock snapped him from his daze. "Don't give up on reality. Look at me."

"W-what?" Zero blinked as his hand began twitching unnaturally. "Oh…I-I…" He brought the other up to hold it in place. "Damn, I'm sorry. I just keep spacing out."

The pirate hid a sigh. "You're going to be fine. You know those government brats love you. I bet they'll even fix your ship up."

The Independent's gaze fell. "I don't…want my ship. I want them. I just want them back. I want to be happy."

"Would you like for me to lie to you?" Harlock offered. There was simply no way to comfort him with the truth.

"What sort of lie?"

"That it's going to be alright. It'll stop hurting."

Zero wheezed a dark laugh. "My chest hurts so much that it's painful to breathe. I've been through this before, but I don't think I can do it again. There's no one left. They just…left me behind."

"I'm sorry." There was nothing more the pirate could think to say. He stood. It was time he left. There was nothing more he could do for his friend. "Don't fight the people that try to help you. You can't get anywhere if you give up completely."

He turned to leave, but a hand gripping his wrist stopped him. Looking back, he saw Zero staring lifelessly at the floor. "You're leaving me too," the elder whispered. "But that's good. Live, Harlock."

"Be happy, Zero." It was obvious that the elder man holding back tears, trying to keep himself composed so that Harlock wouldn't see him break down. He wanted to keep his pride, to still be that strong, respected rival. The pirate had to turn away away, certain that Zero was now crying behind him.

It just didn't feel right.

"You're leaving me too."

Yes, he was, and there was nothing good about it.

* * *

Tadashi wasn't sure what became of Maetel, and that scared him even more. Zero undid the chain and took him to a bedroom that he was told was his. It was a simple windowless room. The door was firmly bolted. Of course there would be no escape.

Like the living room, the tan walls of his room held blotches of white and blue paint. He thought of Maetel's blood, splattered against the floor and walls. It was no wonder then.

Without much else to do, he cleaned off the drying blood in the small bathroom. His skin felt chilled, and he couldn't keep his hands from shaking. He wanted to throw up, and he wanted to cry. But his stomach was empty. He'd run out of tears. He curled up in the neat little bed and tried to stop the gory scene from playing over and over again in his head.

He never found sleep completely, though he reached the fleeting edge of it. Zero returned then, freshly bathed and looking closer to a natural happiness. "How are you feeling, little one?" he questioned. "You didn't eat much."

Tadashi simply stared at him as he knelt beside the bed. What was going on in this psychopaths head? Did he even remember what had happened?

The small pirate flinched away as Zero's hand came up. Even with how gentle the touch was, he still stayed tensed under it. But the madman simply brushed his bangs from his face and felt his forehead. "You don't seem sick," he offered. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Y-yeah," Tadashi managed. He had to do like Maetel had said. He had to at least not go against Zero. Otherwise her death would have been for nothing.

"Then just tell me if you decide you want something to eat. I'll be in my room."

Each time the pirate attempted to speak, it caught in his throat. It wasn't until Zero was at the door that he finally stuttered his question. "H-how can I get you if the door's locked?"

"Oh, I'll leave it unlocked for you," Zero smiled. "Go ahead and get yourself something from the kitchen if you'd like." He nodded and left to go down the hall.

Tadashi waited for the sound of a door closing before he moved. His heart was hammering in his ears. There would be knives in the kitchen. There might even be a gun somewhere around the house. If he just waited until Zero was asleep. If he could just be quiet enough.

He tried to keep his breathing quiet as he moved out into the house. He was too scared to try the front door. There could have been an alarm, and it wasn't as though he had anywhere to escape to. He wasn't even sure where he was.

The back door was sliding glass, leading out into a small backyard. This door could have had an alarm too, and even if it didn't, there was a massive black beast of a dog on the other side to keep him from even hoping. It looked more wolf than dog, and a thick collar was set in its bristly fur, chaining it to a post in the ground. He swallowed his breath, terrified that it would wake up and break through the glass doors to get to him.

As it turned out, the living room he'd called a living room was actually the dining room. The real living room was a bit larger and sparsely furnished like the rest of the house. The door to the dining room itself was closed. When his eyes set on it, he felt himself growing dizzy. A morbid curiosity told him to check and see if Maetel was still there, but he pushed it from his mind and rushed into the kitchen.

It was a nice, cozy area. There wasn't anything particularly special about it, and it wasn't nearly as well stocked as his station back on the Arcadia, but there was a knife drawer. He couldn't decide which size to take. A large one would be easy to grab and knock from his hand. A small one wouldn't do much damage.

But even a small knife to the throat would be enough, just like with Maetel. Tadashi tried not to think about the act itself. Even with Zero, even with a person who truly deserved to die, killing a human seemed wrong. But he had to. He'd have to use a brutal medieval weapon and feel the blood on his hands. There was simply no other choice.

He put the handle of the knife in his pocket and raced back to his room. After hiding the weapon under his mattress, he curled up under the covers and tried to feel warm.

He waited, forcing himself to stay awake even as he began to feel exhaustion creeping up. There was no way to judge the time from his room. When he'd looked outside before, it had been dusk. Now he had no windows or clocks, and he was too scared to leave early.

He lay there, trying to steady his breathing and heartbeat. He'd never been more nervous. There was no one to come to his rescue, no one to back him up. Even when he'd faced Harlock on his own, he hadn't been this afraid. The captain was at least sane. Zero was unpredictable.

Finally, when he was sure he would burst from the pressure, he blanked his mind. If he didn't think, he couldn't be scared. Pushing himself on, he grabbed the knife and slipped out into the hall. Every tiny noise seemed deafening in his ears. Zero was bound to walk out of his room at any time, and he'd somehow manage to spot the knife hidden in the pirate's back pocket.

All the lights in the house were still on, but it was so dark out that Tadashi couldn't see the dog in the backyard. As he reached the insane man's door, he almost burst into nervous laughter. What if the door was locked? What if he'd gone through all this for nothing? With the hopeful thought in mind, he tried the doorknob.

It turned, and the door drifted inward.

He had to keep his hand over his mouth to keep his wheezing from being too loud. It was difficult to see any details of the room with the absence of light, but what did spill in from the doorway illuminated Zero's sleeping form.

The man twitched every few seconds as though fighting a bad dream. He lay on his stomach, seeming to sigh with each slow breath. He looked harmless enough as he slept, and Tadashi was tempted to just rush forward and plunge the knife without further thought. He wanted to kill Zero. He did, but…

He crept forward, unsure why his eyes were blurring with tears. The knife found its way to his trembling hand. Slowly, he brought it level with the exposed front of the man's neck. He couldn't keep a soft whimper from escaping him as he plunged the knife forward. Unable to look, he shut his eyes and turned away.

Maybe it was the adrenaline that kept him from feeling anything. He heard a sickening snap. That couldn't have been the right noise, he thought, prying his eyes open.

A stifled scream left his throat, startling the owner of the eyes boring into him. Zero blinked back into his reality, confused.

The knife fell silently to the carpet. Zero hadn't even seen it. He was too concerned with the unnatural way Tadashi's arm was bending at the elbow. The boy too was rather concerned with it, and he suddenly felt as though his legs were going to drop out from under him.

"Oh, no, not again," Zero gasped, grabbing the pirate before he could faint to the floor. "Come here, little one. Oh, I'm sure that hurts. I'm so sorry." He hauled the boy up and laid him down on the pillows. "That was one of those things they taught us at the academy, and I guess I was dreaming about it or something. I did the same thing to Marina once. Oh, I'm so sorry. How stupid of me. Don't look at it, alright? You're going to be okay. I've got you, little one."

He was fretting and rambling, trying desperately to soothe the shaking boy. Tadashi hadn't felt any pain until he'd looked at the arm. Then the sharp agony had begun, increasing due to the unending trembling of his limbs.

Zero rushed from the room then flicked on the lights as he returned a minute later. He placed something warm and soft by Tadashi's nose before sitting back on the bed to search through his first aid kit. "I thought one of the pups might help take your mind off things," the man smiled, looking somewhat embarrassed. "It's still sleeping though. They're lazy little things, just like their dad."

Tadashi slowly realized the fluff ball in front of his face was a dog that couldn't have been more than a month old. It was a soft gray color, somewhat bristly like the dog outside had been. He brought his good hand up and began petting the sleeping form. "There are…puppies here?"

"Hm? Of course – Black and Domino's pups. I told you about them. They've just been a bit too young up til now to leave the shed, and you…" Zero's words faded as he tried to piece something together. Finally he gave up, shaking his head. "But you should try naming them. You know I'm awful with names."

Oh, the shed. He'd seen it out back, but he hadn't thought much of it. So there were more dogs than the one in the yard. "Did you name Black and Domino?" he asked. If he kept Zero occupied with questions, maybe he wouldn't ask about why Tadashi had been in his room with a knife. And maybe the boy could forget about the agony pulsing out from his splintered limb.

"No…you named them… You must be feeling pretty bad. I'm so sorry."

"I'm-" He cut off with a sharp breath of pain as his arm was moved. The little gray dog turned and began groggily biting the boy's nose.

"Oh, sorry. I just needed to get the painkiller injected. Just give it a second." He offered a shy smile. "Hm, I think that one likes you."

Tadashi wasn't sure what to think at this point. Zero was back to being completely nonthreatening, but his delusions were still intact. He could still snap at any moment. Maetel had said as long as Tadashi went along with being Zero's kid, he'd be fine. And if he kept it up for long enough, maybe the captain still could find him. Maybe.

He searched for another question as he scratched behind the pup's pointed ear, while the dog simply continued to chew lightly on his nose. By this point the painkiller had kicked in, and his entire right arm was numb. "Hey, who's Marina?" he asked finally.

"Who?"

"I dunno - Marina. You said something earlier about how you'd done this to her too."

"Are you sure? I don't know anyone with that name."

Tadashi noticed the odd twitching returning to Zero's hands as he pulled out some bandages. Maybe it was best not to go any further into this subject. "I guess I just misheard you then."

"I guess so."

The knife lay on the floor beneath them, having been kicked under the bed as Zero had run from the room. He hadn't seen it. He was just happy his boy finally seemed willing to talk to him. Maybe things were looking up. Now he just needed to find out where his wife had disappeared to.

* * *

**You can't have a story about a murderous sociopath without cute animals!**


	3. Father Plays

**In which captains argue and board games are played. Zero is not very good at board games.**

* * *

For once Tochiro had nothing to say. The two usually quiet captains had been spitting a violent conversation back and forth like an unending chess match, and he had no hope of compromise. He simply worked on trying to find the path of what they assumed to be Zero's ship while the fight rang through Harlock's room. Tochiro couldn't choose a side, not between the two of them.

"Of course we need to track him down," Harlock growled. "I never said we shouldn't. But you're not going to storm in and kill him."

"Well someone has to if you're not. He's dangerous. He's unstable! And these are just the reports from three years ago!" She waved the file in front of him. "Who knows just what in the hell he's doing with Maetel and the other two."

"Quit treating him like he's some sort of sociopath!"

"He is a sociopath!"

"Then he needs help, not death!"

Emeraldas calmed, her eyes dark. "I told you to get him help years ago. It's too late now. You said it yourself, didn't you? He deserves better than a mental institution, so I'll give him the death he's wanted."

A hesitant knock stopped the Arcadia's captain from answering. "Come in," he allowed curtly.

Kei stepped in, clutching a tablet to her chest. "I've found a few things I thought you should know," she said, her voice soft and saddened. Thin fingers danced across the tablet's screen as she brought up a map. "I've been looking into the news from the planets within this area, and there's an unusual amount of disappearances of women around thirty and children around twelve from each planet. The spike began about three years ago. What's more, many of the reports describe a man similar to Zero being seen in the area the people disappeared from. They all note him as acting very odd."

She waited for someone to interject, but no one did. "The disappearances were also mostly from public areas, and only counting those gives me an estimate of at least fifty people."

She pointed to the smallest planet. "This one hasn't had a near as many disappearances as the rest. The last one that fits the description was one of the earliest from the spike beginning three years ago, which is odd considering it's in the middle and has the highest population."

Pain swam through Harlock's eye. "It…It looks like Earth." It was one of those rare planets with a blue sea and green land, covered in swirls of white. Terra-9, they'd named it, because it was just so similar to home.

"Then we'll find him there," Emeraldas nodded. "All we have to do is search it. If we can find his ship, we'll have him." She stood and stormed from the room, headed back to her own ship. Kei, feeling the shadow hanging over the two men, left them alone in the now silent room.

"Fifty people," Tochiro managed shakily.

"We don't know that they were all him."

"That's…Yes, that's true. I just can't see Zero hurting anyone. But after what happened, after what he went through…"

Harlock shook with rage. "We never even found her, damnit. We never found any form of revenge for them."

Tochiro moved to the file sitting on the table that had separated the two captains. He opened it slowly, not really wanting to read.

One of the doctors had kept observation notes for the weeks Zero had been on Earth, before he'd disappeared.

"The patient seems to have convinced himself that one of our female staff is his wife, or at least sometimes. He'll become angry on occasion because he thinks we're keeping her from him, but later he'll apologize for it profusely. Apparently he remembers what happens during these spells, but he appears to be slipping further into this delusion. The medication is showing no positive effects. I'm afraid there's little I can do to help him."

The reports only became worse with each day's writings.

"The patient left his room last night. He found that female staff member, poor dear, and began trying to convince her to have them both leave. According to her, the twitching I'd been worrying about kept getting worse each time she'd told him she wasn't his wife. Everything would have been alright had he not begun strangling her. It's unsafe to keep him here without some form of restraint, but the moment we began to tie him down, he returned to himself. I don't think I've ever seen a man so broken and terrified in all my life."

"Harlock," Tochiro began.

"Don't tell me," the captain sighed. "I know what they say. I read them."

The short man recalled how Zero had looked when they'd found him, eyes lifeless, blood covering him. He'd refused to let go of his first officer, no matter how much they promised and begged. They eventually had been forced to knock him out in order to separate the two.

When he'd woken up in their infirmary, he asked where Marina and his crew were. While Harlock had been off desperately trying to find the woman responsible, Tochiro had sat at Zero's side and tried to comfort the man who'd slowly remembered that he was the last Independent.

"He never deserved any of this," the engineer whispered.

Harlock poured himself a glass of wine and handed one to his friend. "One of the few truly good, honest men I've ever known, and they tore him apart until there was nothing left. I should never have left him there."

"What could you have done?"

"I could have brought him with us. I could have killed him then."

"Harlock, I really don't think you could have. You understood him too well, and you cared for him too much."

The captain downed his wine before grabbing the rest of the bottle. "Obviously I didn't, or this wouldn't be happening right now. I'm going to get Tadashi and Maetel back. No matter what happens, I will do that much."

* * *

Monono had decided that there were three different sides of Zero. There was the twitchy, nervous one that pleaded for acceptance, the hollowed murderous one that absolutely terrified him, and then there was this one.

"Your turn," the crazed man offered. For the first time, he seemed genuinely calm. Exhaustion was still prevalent in his features, but he didn't look upset or angry.

Tadashi obediently drew a card. He wasn't particularly enjoying this board game, but Zero certainly was. His smile was purely genuine. Occasionally he'd reach down and pet the head of the massive dog resting beside him. The pirate still wasn't interested in getting near Black, though Zero had sworn that the dog was in no way dangerous.

"Uh, hey," Tadashi ventured as he moved his pawn a few spaces.

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly," Zero shrugged, taking a sip from the glass of bourbon in his hand. Maybe it was the alcohol that kept him calm, sort of like the captain.

"Promise you won't get mad."

The man paused, considering it. "Alright."

The boy swallowed, uncertain if there was any sense to asking this. He was just trapped. He had been for five days already. Curiosity was taking hold. "Have you ever heard of someone named Maetel?"

"Maetel?" he frowned. "No, I can't say I have."

Alright, no signs of crazy yet. "What about Harlock."

Zero's frown deepened. "I think I've heard the name before. Yes, that's that famous outlaw, isn't it?"

"What planet are we on?"

The man blinked. "What planet…? Is this some sort of trick question?"

"Just answer it," Tadashi prodded nervously.

"Earth."

That was completely unlikely. They'd been at least a week away from Earth while he was on the Arcadia. "Alright, and what year is it?"

"It's…It's…SD one-zero-seven…one-zero-seven…" He placed a hand to his head, his eyes clenched tightly shut.

"Uh, ignore that question!" Tadashi squeaked. "I meant uh…what month is it?"

"It's November," Zero answered automatically.

"Okay…have you ever heard of Arcadia?"

Then came that same reaction, that same distance to his eyes. "Arcadia?" he echoed airily.

"Yes…you know, paradise?"

The pirate had tensed in preparation for a violent reaction, but Zero simply began to cry. The man didn't seem to notice that he was crying. He just stared on ahead at nothing. "Paradise… They're going to find paradise."

"Who?" Tadashi whispered, but Zero was lost in his own world. There seemed to be more sides to this man than he'd originally guessed.

"He said…he said they'd find paradise, and then…they'd come back and get me." More tears fell from his eyes, tracing his cheeks and falling from his chin. "We were going to be happy."

Finally he shook himself violently from his illusion, tremors continuing to wrack his frame as he stood up and tore from the room. Tadashi jumped as the bedroom door was slammed shut. Alright, he certainly hadn't expected that. Maybe it was better to not ask any questions.

Was he supposed to go apologize?

Black, who hadn't bothered to react to the odd turn of events, slowly dragged himself across the couch and over to Tadashi. "Uh, no," the pirate attempted. "Shoo."

The dog gave a combination between a growl and a whine and plopped itself down across the boy's legs, trapping him. "Hey, get off." He attempted to push Black off, but the beast was twice his weight, and he only had one arm to push with. "Get off!"

A loud snore signaled that the dog was already asleep, and it wasn't long before Tadashi's legs were sleeping too. The prickled, thousands of needles poking his feet. "I hate you," he huffed. Black didn't seem to mind.

"I miss the board game," Tadashi muttered, giving in and petting the dog's back. He must have dozed off, because he found himself jolting awake as Black dragged away. It shook itself, the tags of its collar jangling. Then it loped off toward the dining room that the pirate had so carefully avoided. When it reached the door, it scratched at the wood, glancing back expectantly at Tadashi.

"What? Why would you even need to go in there?"

The dog let out a lazy woof.

"Fine," the boy huffed. The moment he rose to his feet, he found them falling out from under him, a sweet prickling pain numbing them. He glared up at Black from the floor. "This is all your fault."

The dog calmly walked back, grabbed the boy's shirt collar between its fangs, and proceeded to drag him toward the door.

"Let go!" Tadashi snarled.

Black simply growled in return.

"It's not my fault you don't have thumbs!"

Irritated, Tadashi immediately reached up and grabbed the doorknob the moment it came within range. As soon as the door swung inward, he was met with a wall of bleach. The cold scent drowned him, making him lightheaded and nauseous.

The dog moved to the smaller couch, pawing under it until he'd found some sort of scrap of food. It wolfed it down before beginning to dig at the carpet.

Tadashi couldn't remember how to breathe. His heart fluttered like a bird trapped in his chest, and his vision began to dim.

This was where she'd died. This was where he'd die. There'd be nothing left but the overpowering scent of bleach. No one was coming to save him.

He was alone, and he was going to die.

He needed to get out. He had to. His entire body shook as he attempted to stand, to stumble out of the room, but he collapsed to his knees. His chest ached for air. He was choking as though Zero's hands were once more around his neck.

When a palpable hand touched him, he swung at it wildly in fear, but it persisted. "Come here, little one. I know you're scared, but I won't let anything hurt you."

"No!" the pirate sobbed between gasping breaths. "You're going to kill me!"

"I'd never hurt you," Zero whispered, bringing the terrified boy to his chest. "You're having a panic attack. I've had one before too, but you can make it through this. Just breathe with me."

Tadashi could hear the man's firm heartbeat strumming against this ear. He focused on it, the gentle, steady rhythm. Zero was strong and warm, just like the captain. Actually, a lot of him was like the captain with the way he felt and they way he was speaking. So sure, and so calm.

For a fleeting moment, as his breath began to return, Tadashi really did feel protected. Zero wasn't going to hurt him, at least not right now. The man affectionately kissed the top of the pirate's head, humming a gentle song.

When the attack finally faded, Tadashi found himself leaning easily against the usually- frightening man. He felt as though he'd just run for miles. "Feeling better?" Zero asked in a whisper.

"Mm-hm."

"Sorry if I freaked you out earlier. Sometimes I just lose myself. Everything goes dark."

"S'okay."

"Hey, Black," the man hissed. "What are you doing? Stop tearing up the carpet."

The young pirate was beginning to doze when Zero carried him back to the living room couch. He rested there for a while. A candle was placed on the game board and lit, warding off the scent of bleach, though a headache still lingered behind Tadashi's temples. When Zero returned, he had a bowl of ice-cream and something fizzy to drink.

Tadashi accepted them with a whispered thank-you as he sat up, rubbing at his eyes. What was he doing? He couldn't be taking bribes from the enemy. But…he couldn't just waste food.

"So…if you're feeling better," Zero's eyes shone like an excited child's, "would you like to play catch in a bit?"

The pirate chewed on his spoon for a moment. "Catch? How am I supposed to play with one arm?"

"Oh…yeah, I guess that's true. I'm sorry"

Why did he feel so guilty? There was no reason to feel bad for taking anything away from Zero. There was absolutely no reason. "But," Tadashi huffed. "It's not like I'm not good enough to just play with one arm." Actually he had no idea how he was going to play single-handed, but he'd figure that out later.

Zero's face lit up, and he dashed away. When he returned moments later, his arms were full of baseball equipment – bats, gloves and balls. He dropped them all on the couch in a messy heap. "I think your glove's getting a bit too small for you, little one," he hummed in thought. "You could practically wear mine."

The man held out the worn, muddied black glove, and Tadashi took it from him, trying it on. It was much too big, but the other ones were too small to even fit on his hand. "What are you going to use?" he asked.

"I can just catch bare-handed. It's no problem." He eagerly picked out two bats, grinning from ear to ear.

"I can throw kind of hard. Won't that hurt?" Tadashi scolded himself again for taking this all so easily. Don't be nice to the enemy. Don't be nice to-

Zero's smile warmed and softened. "If it does hurt, I gotta say, I'd be pretty proud. I'd love to see you best your old man." He ruffled the pirate's hair. "You sure are getting big. When you were born you couldn't even get your hand around my finger. But your mother said you'd grow up to be just as strong as Daddy… Oh, sorry," he shook his head. "Don't mean to be all sentimental. Let's play some ball."

"Sounds good," Tadashi murmured, one side of his lips easing into a crooked smile.

* * *

**Hmm...looks like nothing could go wrong here.**


	4. Father Protects

**In which my OTP makes me sad and there are way more baths than should ever be in a single chapter. Seriously there are like three baths, and yet no naked people.**

* * *

Before she'd even finished her drink, Emeraldas' anger mounted, and she threw the wine glass against the wall, watching it shatter brilliantly. The chimes of falling shards echoed through the bridge of the Queen Emeraldas, the purple liquid sliding down the wall. The captain stared at it, her expression revealing nothing.

As she spoke, her voice was dark with malice. "His vehicle's unregistered, he's not listed in any records, there are no image matches of him, and not a single person on this planet seems concerned with helping us find him."

"We'll find him," Tochiro offered. "The more we look, the more we can narrow down our area. And a few of them did try to help, but no one knows him. He's probably just somewhere else."

"But what if we skip over him? The cities on this planet are impossible to search thoroughly."

"I don't think he'd be in a city," the short man frowned. "If he was near one, I'd say a suburb at most."

"How can you be sure?"

"I can't, but I did know him. He didn't want to live in a city. He wanted to live somewhere with room. That was what he said once anyway."

The woman's eyes softened with recognition. "'Because there's no room to stretch your legs on a ship or in a city'," she recalled. "'And the air smells sweeter where there are trees.'"

"Yeah," Tochiro sighed.

"We should search the rural area's more," the captain decided firmly. "We have to find him immediately."

The engineer slowly approached her. "You really think he'd hurt Maetel?"

She paused, taking an uneven breath. "I want to believe that he wouldn't. I want to believe that he's still a good man. But that is my sister… and something feels so wrong. I'm afraid she won't be there when we find him."

"Don't say that!" Tochiro cried. "She's going to be fine. We'll find her!"

Emeraldas knelt down, placing a hand to his cheek. "I want that to be true. You've always been so optimistic, but I think that will only make it hurt more. I've never felt this empty. Right now, all I can hope for is to find your crewman, because I've at least got to hope for something."

"We'll find her," the short man pleaded. "We'll find them. They'll be alright." There was no way she could be gone. Maetel would be fine. They'd show up and she'd be sitting with the boys, just and calm and pleasant as ever.

The captain slipped her arms around him, burying her eyes in his shoulder. "I don't want you to be hurt when those words aren't true," she whispered.

He wanted to suggest that the Independent captain had never harmed anyone, that it was all just a big misunderstanding. He wanted everyone to be alright, and he wanted to tell her that they most certainly would be. But this time, he couldn't summon himself to do it.

"We can't give up," he managed.

"You're right," she sighed. "My sister deserves to be found, and Zero deserves his retribution."

Tochiro hesitated. "I told him once…I told him we'd find Arcadia, and we'd show it to him, because he deserved that much."

She pulled back, staring into his eyes behind the thick lenses. "It's too late for that. The best peace he can be given is death. That way, all of his victims can have peace as well."

"We can't be sure…" But he trailed off as her eyes hardened. She stood and spun in one swift motion.

"We need to get back to work," she demanded.

"Maybe you should rest," Tochiro suggested, knowing he'd be shot down. She'd been working without a moment's sleep. It wouldn't be long before she collapsed from exhaustion. The least he could do was stay with her to catch her when she fell.

* * *

"What's the point of washing them if they're just going to run back outside and get dirty again?" Tadashi questioned, hauling the three muddied pups toward the master bathroom. All three were almost unrecognizable due to the dirt clinging to their coats. They dangled from the boy's arms, nipping at each other and his chin and making his broken arm ache a bit.

He realized then that Zero was no longer behind him. Taking a few steps back, he found the man still outside in the gray downpour. "Get up!" Zero commanded. Apparently Black didn't care that it was raining. It was nap time, so the dog would not cooperate. It simply lay down in a puddle of mud while its owner tried to pick it up. "Why are you so heavy!?"

Tadashi watched in amusement as the drenched man finally managed to get the dog in a slight carry, only to fall back into the soggy yard. "Hey, Black," the boy yelled. "Come here, ya idiot!"

Now the dog stood and loped toward the sliding glass door. As soon as Zero had followed it inside, it shook itself free of excess water. "Why did I get you a dog?" the man sighed.

"I don't know," Tadashi smiled, turning back toward the bathroom. The female, Domino, was still obediently waiting there for him. Her namesake was reasonable due to the multitude of black spots covering her smooth white coat. She watched with interest as her pups were all dropped into the plastic tub.

Black followed them after a quick "Get in there" from Tadashi. The female had come in before the rain and didn't need to be cleaned, which was lucky considering the male took up half the tub.

"Alright." Zero frowned, cranking on the showerhead. "Let's see how this goes."

The puppies quickly set to barking at the falling water, trying to bite at it. Their father yawned and curled up in the tub. "That dog is worthless," Zero grumbled. "Why did you want that one again?"

"I don't know." Tadashi hated when their conversations went this direction. Another kid had picked out Black and named him. Another kid that was long dead and rotting by now.

Zero seemed bothered, his brow furrowed. "Really? I thought you said there was something about him that you really liked."

"Oh, guess I don't remember."

"Do you remember why you wanted Domino?"

The boy suddenly felt trapped. Zero was staring at him questioningly, worry in his eyes. "I don't know," the pirate mumbled, idly petting the sleeping black canine.

"Y-you said…you wanted a-another dog." He grabbed at his twitching hand. "B-because it wasn't right t-to just have one… H-he'd be lonely."

Tadashi attempted to brush it off with a quick, nervous laugh. "Oh yeah. That's right."

Zero's expression didn't change. "Do you really…not remember? Slowly, he released his grip on his shaking hand and began to reach out to the young boy. Without meaning to, Tadashi shrank back in fear. The man seemed more frightened than violent, but what did he want?

Tadashi had expected to find himself reeling back from a hit, so he was left confused as Zero jerked away as though he'd just touched a burner. The man leaned back against the bathroom wall, clenching his hand in obvious pain. Blood seeped between his fingers, and slid down the trail of his arm.

The pounding of his own heart in his ears faded, and the pirate realized Black was now on its feet growling viciously at its owner. Its fangs were bared, the thick fur over its spine rigid. "S-stop!" the pirate gasped.

The dog's growls faded. It turned and nudged its nose against Tadashi's temple, still glaring at Zero.

"Let's hope he never bites someone other than me," the man sighed. "We could get in trouble." He seemed to have returned to his calm self. There were no signs of the shaking.

The boy continued to sit in shock. This was a regular occurrence? "Are you alright?" he asked instead.

"Fine," Zero smiled, grabbing one of the dry washcloths to wrap his bleeding hand in. "As long as he didn't hurt you, but he never does. He likes you too much."

He returned to his knees beside the tub and wrapped and arm around his boy. "That dog seems convinced that you're his kid, but as long as he's protecting you I'll let him be."

But he's protecting me from you, Tadashi thought. So why had he told the dog to stop? It must have just been a natural reaction. That was all.

They washed the dogs without saying much else to each other. Tadashi was stuck scrubbing the mud from Black while Zero took the puppies. They liked him much more than their father did, and their teeth weren't quite as dangerous. When he was done with each, he'd present them to their mother, who took each in her mouth and placed them somewhere in the house. When she took the third one, Black assumed he was done as well and jumped out to follow her.

"That idiot," Tadashi grumbled. He hadn't finished rinsing the huge dog.

Zero laughed as he rinsed the rest of the dirt from the tub. "Laziest, most stubborn dog I've ever seen." He then switched the faucet on and plugged the drain. "Your turn," he decided.

"What? No!"

"You need a bath. You're covered in rainwater and dirt." He grabbed the boy's uncast arm and dragged him back before he could try to run out the door.

"You're covered in more rainwater and dirt!"

"True, but I'll just take a bath after you." He began to wrestle the struggling pirate from his shirt. "Hold still, little one. It's just a bath."

"I am old enough to take a bath on my own!"

"I know, but-"

"You are a pervert!"

"I am not!" With the shirt off, he shoved the boy into the full tub. "That's an awful thing to say to your father. Now take off your pants."

Grabbing the dog's shampoo bottle, the horrified pirate tossed it at Zero's head. "I don't want you to see me naked!"

The man rubbed at the red spot on his forehead where the bottle had hit. "I have seen you naked hundreds of times," he grumbled.

"That's horrible! You are a pervert! Pervert!" Taking a chance, he leapt from the bathtub and stumbled out the door. His drenched pants were thick and tangled around his legs, but he ran on against Zero's irritated protests. A full-fledged escape wasn't really on his mind. He just wanted to avoid the bath.

Unfortunately, he wasn't really bothering to think it all through. The closest door was the first one he tore open and ran through – the sliding glass door. By this time the winds had kicked up into a howling frenzy, and the flying raindrops were icy against his already-wet skin.

"What are you doing?" Zero called from the safety of the house. "You know you're not supposed to get your cast too wet."

He hadn't been planning to truly escape, but now that he stared at the fence, he wondered what was on the other side. Maybe he could climb it and run. There was such low visibility that it was to his advantage. After a hesitant few steps, he once again broke into a run, this throat burning against the icy air.

He reached the wooden structure and leapt up to catch the top, his arm aching from the effort. Scrambling his feet against the panels, he found himself getting over. The other side was so dark, nothing but a dreary field. Still, it looked like heaven to him. He jumped toward it, into the dull, hopeful scene.

His escape ended with a startled choking noise as he found his belt jerking back against him. "Honestly, that's not funny," Zero sighed, hauling him back over with the firm hold on the belt. "Now you really need a bath."

"The rainwater cleaned me off enough," Tadashi snapped, fueling his anger with his disappointment.

"Well if you're really going to be so ornery about it," he tossed the pirate over his shoulder and hauled him back inside. "You can just take a bath tomorrow. For tonight, you'll stay in your room."

It was really only 7, so Tadashi guessed this was supposed to be punishment. But being alone sounded preferable at this point. It had been a stupid attempt. So stupid, but that instant of freedom had brought him pure joy.

Zero placed him in the confined room and tossed a towel at his head. "I'm not sure why you're being like this," the man sighed. "If you're upset with me, I wish you'd tell me why instead of running off or calling me names. That…really does hurt. There are some things you just don't say."

"If I told you what was bothering me, you'd just get madder," the pirate mumbled, imagining the enraged part of Zero that had killed Maetel.

"Fine-fine." He shook his head. "Just tell me when you're ready to talk. I'll be in the shower." Then he left, closing the door behind him.

Occasionally Tadashi found himself surprised by how calm the insane man could be, how patient and understanding. But as usual, he brushed it off as a fluke and set to drying himself off. Jeez, he was freezing.

He didn't remember falling asleep. He remembered trying to figure out the plane model Zero had gotten him, but then he must have zonked out at some point. When he awoke, he found the man sitting on the bed beside him. He was still so cold.

"As if you haven't made me worry enough," Zero smiled tiredly. "Next time you decide to run out in the freezing rain, make sure you're wearing a jacket."

"Did I catch something?" Tadashi grumbled. His head felt stuffed, and he could feel the heat radiating from his body, though it did little to help his chill.

"Looks like it. But I think it's just a cold."

"A cold? Never had a cold before."

"What?" Zero frowned.

"Didn't have colds on my planet…" He slowly recalled that the man would freak out if he continued this. Already, Zero was becoming disturbed by his words, but the shaking hadn't started yet. "Must be delirious," Tadashi said, hoping to fix his mistake.

Thankfully, it seemed to work. "That sick already? Goodness, little one." He placed the back of his hand to the boy's forehead. "Maybe you've got the flu."

"What's that?"

"Stronger strain of a cold."

It was just his luck. "Nah," he huffed. "I'm fine."

"Well, you're awfully warm. You definitely need to cool down."

"But I'm cold," the pirate pouted. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I know, but that's the way it is. And, well, the quickest way to cool off," he fought back a smile, "is a bath."

"That's not funny!" Tadashi bristled, but Zero just laughed at him.

Standing, the man moved to the boy's dresser. "Maybe you were already sick. Honestly, I don't know what you've been thinking. I was just going to leave you in the bathroom to your own devices like I always do, but you were so reluctant to take a bath that I had to make sure you would. Then you jumped down my throat…" Now he was also pouting slightly. "But now I do have to keep an eye on you, so here." He tossed a pair of swimming shorts at the boy. "Is that acceptable?"

"Why do you need to watch me though?" the pirate snarled.

"Have to make sure you don't try to drown on me like you did last time you were sick. Just about gave me a heart attack."

"And how old was I then?"

"Uh… That's not important."

"God, you're creepy."

"Stop that! I am not!"

Eventually Tadashi gave in, though he didn't appreciate the bath one bit. "I am cold!" he howled.

"You are whiny," Zero added. "Now drink your juice or you'll get dehydrated."

The pirate puffed his cheeks. "I don't want juice. I'm not a baby."

"I don't remember raising you to be so hard-headed."

Tadashi sighed at the irony. He wasn't really thirsty or hungry. He was just cold. The water might have been lukewarm, but he would have preferred it to be sauna-level hot. Colds sucked. Maybe they weren't life threatening like most of the diseases on his planet had been, but at least those had killed quickly.

Zero plopped down on the floor beside the tub with a yawn. "Guess you can just get back to bed after this." He took the cup of juice from the edge of the tub and sipped it. "I don't know what you're complaining about. This tastes way better than the stuff I drink."

The boy had to crack a smile. "Why drink it then?"

"Because drinking alcohol makes you look cool," the man smirked playfully. "And I've got to do something with all that bourbon. No one else around to drink it. Your mother hates the stuff."

After another shiver, Tadashi placed his freshly-cast arm on the edge of the tub, resting his chin on it. Zero had fixed it up for him, telling him to absolutely not get this one wet. "Where'd you get all the alcohol then?" he questioned.

Zero leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "Guess I bought it all. I dunno. Feel like I've had it forever."

"Hm." The boy reminded himself not to ask too many questions. "This sucks."

"What does? Talking to me?" the man smiled.

"No, not really."

A warm laugh bubbled from Zero's chest. "Not really? Well that makes me feel better."

"I was talking about the bath. Jeez." Tadashi found it strange how normal the man was becoming. Sometimes he really was reminded of his father, firm but kind and playful. The boy hadn't seen his father in years. On rare occasions Harlock had been similar, but his father had never been stoic. More like Zero, the pirate thought. His father had been much more like Zero than the captain.

"Hey," he felt himself say, like he had so often so many years ago. "Can you tell me a story?"

Zero cracked an eye open. "Haven't heard a request like that in a while," he smiled. "Certainly, little one. What sort of story do you want to hear?"

"I don't care. Not a love story though."

The man hummed a laugh. "Alright, let me see. I'm sure I've got a good story somewhere."

Tadashi found himself dozing to the perilous tale, told in such a soothing voice that he couldn't help but drift off. The whole thing sounded so silly. What was Zero even talking about?

Soon enough, he slipped off. Then he dreamed of it – a cat, a bird, and two idiot captains on an impossible mushroom planet.

When he woke up, he was wondering what happened to them all after the part where they fell into the black void, but he was in his room in a fresh set of pajamas. The dogs were scattered around it, the gray puppy curled beside him on his bed, but their owner wasn't to be found.

His head was swimming even more than before, his breaths rasped, and he was only somewhat cooler on the outside. He really wanted to know the rest of that story.

The dogs were all startled awake by his sudden coughing fit, cutting off his attempt to call to Zero. But the man came as though he'd been told to anyway. "This is some cold," he sighed, rubbing the boy's back. "You sound awful, little one."

"M'okay." He pawed at the man's arm. "What happened at the end of the story?"

"I don't know," Zero confessed with a smile. "I was making it up as I went along, and I'd backed myself into a corner. It was my luck that you fell asleep then."

"You can't stop there," Tadashi frowned. "They have to come out of it alright. Cause the good guys always win, Dad."

Zero hesitated, searching for something to say.

"Why are you crying?" the boy frowned as he noticed the tears beginning to spill from the man's eyes.

"I-I don't know," Zero laughed. He gathered the boy up and hugged him to his chest. "I'm just so happy, little one. I don't know why. You're right, the good guys always win. Let's see, where was I?"

"They were falling," Tadashi murmured, leaning against the source of warmth.

"Ah, that's right. They were falling, and then there was this bright flash of light…"

* * *

**Zero, that is the dumbest story I've ever heard. Who in their right minds would think up something like that? Oh wait...**


	5. Father Breaks

**In which the past is revealed and things take a turn for the worst. (Animal abuse warning)**

* * *

Kei had never considered herself much of a cook, but she could at least make things that were edible, which was more than could be said for most of the crew. As she brought her usual dinner rounds to the bridge, she sighed at the sight of the ship's youngest passenger. The small child sat quietly at Tadashi's usual post, mindlessly petting the cat in her lap.

"Rebi," the elder called softly, kneeling in front of the girl. "You need to eat."

But as always, the girl refused to take the plate from her. "I want Brother's cooking," she whispered. "I wanna see my brother."

"We're looking for him," Kei assured her. "We'll find him soon enough, and then we'll force him to make all your favorites just for you. I know he wouldn't want you to waste food though. He'd scold you for acting like this."

"Big Sister…" The young girl's eyes moved listlessly up to hers. "Why did that man take Brother?"

"I…I don't know." It was the truth. Neither the captain nor Tochiro had seen fit to fully explain the situation to her. But now that she thought about it, she felt she had full right to know everything. Perhaps learning more about this Zero could help her track him down. "You know what?" she frowned, standing. "I'm going to go find out. But I won't tell you anything unless you eat."

Rebi hesitantly took the plate before Kei turned and made her way toward the captain's room. The man spent a great deal of time there. When not aboard the Queen Emeraldas, Tochiro was with him, and supposedly they were searching for ways to track down Tadashi. She suspected more time was spent brooding and drinking.

Her rapping on the door was answered with a tired allowance, and she strode in, ready to get her information. Harlock stood behind his desk, staring out at the stars of the planet's night sky. They'd been docked here far longer than anyone had hoped to be, and he just wasn't fond of having his feet planted.

"Captain?"

"Yes, Kei?" He turned to find her staring him down with a firm determination.

"You and Tochiro and Emeraldas…you all know this person, this Zero. But you haven't told anyone else a thing about him. You seem to know why he's doing this, so please, tell me why. It might help me narrow something down."

The captain took a slow breath, considering it. "I don't know specifically why he's doing this…but I'll tell you what I know, and you can draw your own conclusions from there. You shouldn't pass this information along to anyone who doesn't need to hear it. I'm hesitant to tell you much of the details, so you'll have to excuse me for being vague, but you have to understand the sort of stress it takes to break a person like they broke Zero."

She nodded slowly, morbid curiosity taking hold. "Who were they?" she questioned.

"It was really the fault of only one woman – Helmatier." He sneered at the name. "We have a past with her. Back then she was just one of the dozens of people who held grudges against me. But to her, Zero was more of an enemy. He'd been the one to ruin her, so after she turned tail and ran, she made a plan to ruin him."

Harlock slipped into his chair and pulled open a desk drawer. "Zero had a good crew," he said. "I didn't know them well, but they were all good people. It's rare to have a near-even number of humans and machine men getting along so well. Only the best captains can keep their men scared and in-line but also at-home, comfortable. Zero's crew loved him, and he cared for each of them. Helmatier knew that. She knew his Achilles heel."

The pirate captain tossed a file on his desk, opening it to reveal a tattered photograph. Curious, Kei stepped forward to see it. This man, surrounded by people in uniform, barely resembled the one she'd seen in the hospital's file. There was color to his cheeks, a slight smile in his expression.

"He left that here," Harlock explained. "I don't think he could stand to look at it. She took them from him. One by one. She made him watch each one die in whatever brutal way she could think of. She brought him to his knees, and he offered her everything in exchange for their lives. We found out through rumors, and we tracked down their location. We were going to save them."

He faded to silence, staring at the smiling faces in the picture. "You were too late," Kei whispered.

"If we had gotten there one minute sooner, we could have caught Helmatier, and we could have saved his first officer. But we didn't."

"You saved him." Though the young woman wasn't sure if that could be considered a hopeful note or not.

The captain glanced up at her. For the longest time that had been his silver lining. "I don't think she ever intended to kill him," he confessed. "She just wanted to see him broken, and she got what she wanted."

Kei shook her head. It still didn't make sense "But why the women and children? Why them specifically? It seems so random."

"It's in the hospital file," Harlock sighed quietly. "You read it, didn't you? That woman – he saw her as his wife. It was years ago, but there was a time that he was married. It was during the wars with the Machine Men, and she and their child were killed during the attack on Earth."

"He wants…his family back?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know what's going on in his head, but once we track him down, I intend to find out."

"Are you sure Emeraldas won't kill him before then?" Kei had heard enough of the two captains' arguments to pick that out.

As expected, Harlock scowled at her question. "She should stay calm long enough to listen. If she doesn't want to, I'll make sure she does."

The girl watched him, trying to judge his expression. "Why do you care about him so much?"

The captain blinked at her, a sigh slowly escaping him. "He was my friend. I want to say he still is."

"You're blaming yourself for all of this," she realized. "Captain-"

"Any more questions, Kei?" he interrupted.

She chewed her lip. "Do you think Tadashi's alright?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly.

* * *

Between Zero and the dogs, Tadashi was coddled until he was well again. Zero was constantly asking him if he needed anything, Black kept him warm by being an overly-heavy blanket, and the pups chewed feeling back into his fingers and toes.

He decided to name the little brats. The white one was Kei, the spotted one was Rebi, and the gray one was Captain. Occasionally he'd admit to feeling a little homesick for the Arcadia.

Despite his hovering, Zero at least trusted him enough to go out into the backyard on his own to let the dogs in or out. Sure he could have hopped the fence, but there was nothing out there. For all he knew the nearest civilization could have been on the next planet, though he did wonder where their food came from. He simply had a better chance of survival just staying with Zero and his now-rare bouts of madness.

When they did happen, they were mild. He'd begin twitching due to something seemingly-random that Tadashi had said, but the pirate had found he could quickly calm the man down by distracting him. He'd tug on the elder's sleeve or tap on his shoulder, and Zero would return, blinking a few times.

Tadashi found himself less and less afraid. It was just hard to be scared of the man that usually acted like a worried mother.

"It's cold out," he called as the boy was about to get the pups from the shed. "Put a jacket on."

"I'm only going outside for a minute," Tadashi huffed.

"You got sick enough last time. You don't need to be doing that again."

"It was raining last time!"

"Just put your jacket on!"

He gave in with a exaggerated sigh, throwing on his jacket. As soon as the back door slid open, Black attempted to drag his post from the ground in order to get to his favorite of the two humans. Tadashi did his best to avoid the dog and just get to the shed, but as he tried to go around, he found himself gently tackled and held to the ground as the dog eagerly licked his face.

"Ugh, stop!" the boy demanded. "You are gross!"

Black finally released him after deciding the boy was thoroughly clean. Then the dog watched as Tadashi opened the shed door, the puppies quickly jumping on him and trying to mimic their father. "I hate all of you!" the pirate lied as the pups licked his face and chewed on his hair.

"Well, you needed a haircut anyway," Zero called from the door with a laugh.

The pups were getting big, and they loved to tumble over each other and their surrogate brother. The pirate scooped Captain up under his arm and hauled the dog inside, the other two and their mother trailing at his heels.

"Better let Black in," Zero warned.

"Do I have to? He's going to be obnoxious."

"It's because he loves you," the man grinned, ruffling his kid's hair.

After unhooking the dog from its post, Tadashi found himself face-down in the dirt as Black lay down across him. Zero attempted to step forward to help, but the dog rejected him with a low growl.

"Fine-fine," the man sighed. "I'll leave."

As soon as he disappeared back inside, Black released the boy. "I guess you really don't like him," Tadashi sighed, dusting himself off.

The dog's teeth clamped down on his sleeve, dragging him inside. "Hey-hey!" the pirate snapped. "Leggo!" He was led to that same door – the dining room. He still didn't like to go near it. For the most part, they ate in the living room. Zero didn't seem to go in the dining room much either.

But Black wanted in. He kept the boy's sleeve in his grasp and scratched at the door. "There's no more food in there," Tadashi scolded, throwing the door open for him. He covered his nose and mouth as he was pulled to the center of the room, but the scent of bleach wasn't as prominent.

After a few careful breaths, he realized he was fine. No panic attack this time. Black released him in order to dig at the carpet - the same spot as before. The pirate watched, confused. "What are you doing, boy?"

The dog growled, trying desperately to get through the mismatched patch of flooring. This section of the carpet was different – a large brown square. "Alright, move," Tadashi decided, grabbing the piece and pulling. He hadn't actually expected much, but it came up, nearly causing him to tumble back. Dragging it out of place revealed wooden flooring beneath the carpet. And there, right where the dog had been digging, was a small hatch.

"A wine cellar?" the boy questioned hopefully. Surely that was it. He grabbed the metal handle believing it, and yanked the hatch open.

Bleach. He was really getting to hate that smell. The cellar was drowning in it, but there was something else under it, something rotten. As Black quickly padded down the concrete steps, Tadashi stood at the top in a daze.

There was something down there, something he'd seen before too many times. His brothers and sisters, his parents, Maetel…

But what else? A bark rang from the bottom, urging him to follow. Enough light spilled in to reveal the light switch on the wall below. Something was down there. Something. He felt himself moving, taking the first step. His feet echoed solidly against the concrete. The room must have at least been the size of his kitchen back on the Arcadia for the sounds to echo like they were.

He pawed for the light switch, his hand shaking against him. Finally he managed to flip it, a dim yellow light flooding the space. Black sat at the bottom of the stairs, gazing up at him. The pirate kept his eyes locked with the endless, black marbles of the dog's stare as he descended. He refused to acknowledge what he was seeing in the corners of his eyes. Just his dog. That was all he could see. That was it.

When he reached the last step, he nearly collapsed on top of Black. He hugged the mutt, burying his face in the bristled fur. "W-what am I doing down here, boy?" he whimpered.

The dog gently pulled away, taking the boy's sleeve in its teeth. Closing his eyes, the pirate allowed himself to be led. He was turned and tugged around a winding path across the floor. There must have been something important here. There must have been something to save himself with. This part was just the test to earn it.

They stopped, forcing him to pry his eyes open. In front of him was a small filing cabinet, about his height. "If there's just some food in here or something you're in so much trouble," he twittered weakly.

The dog nudged him forward before turning back and walking away. "Y-you'd better come back when I need you," Tadashi warned, terror quickening his breathing. He jerked the top drawer open, frowning in confusion at its contents. There wasn't any one thing. It was just a large variety of junk. Phones, purses, wallets – all personal items tossed carelessly in the drawer. None of these were going to do him any good.

He moved to the bottom drawer, and there it was – his gun. He picked it up, turning it over in his hand to feel its weight. As he was about hook it awkwardly into his belt, he noticed another gun. This one held a small, silver skull and crossbones on its handle. It was quite the gun, and despite how heavy it was, it fit nicely in his hand.

Finally he saw the object that had been hidden beneath the weapons. "A radio!" he cried eagerly, and one he could use to contact the Arcadia. He'd just need to figure out how to work it properly and get the right frequency. This was much more Mr. Tochiro's field than his own

He placed the new gun in his belt instead of the old and grabbed the palm-sized radio, grinning as it came to life. He had a chance now.

His heart plummeted at the sound of glass shattering from upstairs. He spun as a natural reaction and finally got full view of them. Most of them were haphazardly wrapped in white sheets of some sort, dried blood staining many of them. The taller ones lined the left wall, at least a couple dozen. The shorter ones were on the right, about the same amount. There were so many that they crammed the room, leaving only a small footpath to move through to get back to the stairs.

Alright, they were just dead bodies. Nothing…nothing to freak out over. Just…a whole bunch of dead people. Yeah.

The solid sounds of boots against the concrete brought him a new fear. Black returned and jumped in front of him, a deep growl rumbling in the dog's throat. Tadashi grabbed his new gun, hiding it behind his back as he waited for Zero to come nearer.

He didn't want to kill the man. Really, he didn't, but the air felt dry. His heart was pounding. It didn't seem like Zero was the one coming down at all.

His footsteps followed a slow rhythm.

One.

At.

A.

Time.

Until his face finally became visible to the cowering boy. Zero's expression was unreadable. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs before finally turning his wide gaze toward the small pirate. He stared for a moment, not speaking a word.

Then he turned, starting toward the boy. An occasional twitch rattled his limbs.

"H-hey…hey it's me, uh, D-dad?" Tadashi choked.

Zero neared, stepping between the bodies with ease. He showed no signs of hearing.

"A-are you alright? I-I didn't mean to-to come down here." His gun hand shook violently. Was Zero going to hurt him? He'd never been this quiet before.

Black stood guard, every muscle and hair taught in preparation. Zero didn't even bother to glance at the dog. His eyes bored into the trespassing boy.

Tadashi took a step back, finding himself against the cabinet. "I'm just gonna…just gonna go back upstairs, alright!?" his voice trilled.

Now the man was close enough to reach out and touch Black. The dog was about to spring when Tadashi threw up the gun, taking a wind shot in terror. The recoil on the gun nearly broke his other arm, and screamed in pain as it flew from his hand. The shot was tossed into the wall, and Zero stood unharmed.

Finally the dog jumped, its fangs headed for the man's throat. Zero calmly brought up his arm, seemingly unbothered by the teeth tearing into it. Taking his chance, Tadashi ran. With the footpath blocked, he found himself stumbling over a pile of bodies. Some of them were more…solid than others. His foot sank into something wet, but he forced it from his mind and kept on.

Just as he reached the edge, he tripped, falling completely on top of one. As he struggled to regain his footing, he accidentally pushed away the covering.

That was…that was him. He may as well have been staring in a mirror. The boy's hair was slightly darker, falling to cover one eye, but the face was his own, pale in the mask of death. Thick purple and black bruises covered his neck, the only color to him. If he didn't get out of here now, Tadashi realized, he'd end up the same way.

A high yelp pierced the air, cut off by a sickening snap. A chill spread up Tadashi's spine. He turned just to watch Black's corpse be thrown to the side. The dog's neck was twisted unnaturally.

Zero looked back over his shoulder, his eyes still void of emotions.

Tadashi's mind screamed at him to run.

So he ran.

He took the stairs two at a time, tore through the dining room door and ripped the sliding glass open. The radio was still clenched in his hand. If he just had time, he could call the Arcadia.

He shouldn't have glanced back. Zero was already at the top of the stairs, eyes wide and empty as they took in the frightened boy. The prate wasn't going to be able to run fast enough.

His blood pounded through his ears as he raced to the shed, jerking it open and slamming it shut behind him. The small space smelled of plywood and dogs. The lighting was almost nonexistent, just a small yellow glow from the dog door by his feet. He grabbed a length of pvc pipe, shoving it behind the handles on the back of the doors. Not a second later, it was tested.

Tadashi stumbled back, crawling into the corner as the doors rattled against the light tugging. He fumbled for the radio, desperately trying to find the right positions for the dials. Damnit, Mr. Tochiro had shown him how to do this. It was…no… No, that wasn't right!

"Little one," Zero called suddenly, his voice soft. "Little one, let me in."

"No!" Monono screamed, his eyes filled with tears as he shook worthlessly. "Let me go! I don't want to die!"

"Little one, your father loves you very much." He spoke as though he were talking about someone else. "Be a good boy and let me in."

"No! I'm going to get out of here!" He twisted the dials, fighting his trembling hands.

"Come out, little one. Come out."

The radio crackled and popped. A familiar voice reached him. "Hey, who's using this frequency?" Mr. Tochiro… He'd gotten the frequency. He had a chance.

Another growl rose up from the other side of the door. Then an angry bark, followed by smaller yips in echo.

"Your dogs are noisy," Zero whispered.

"No… No!" he screamed in horror. "Don't hurt them!"

"Tadashi!?" Tochiro cried in shock.

The two men in the captain's room stared at the old-fashioned transmitter. Harlock jumped to his feet, taking the speaking piece from his friend. "Tadashi, where-?"

"No!" the boy was begging, sobbing. "Don't hurt her. Please don't hurt her!"

"Track this!" Harlock commanded.

"I can't!" the short man protested as he began examining the data. "I can only estimate!"

"Then do that!"

"You have to keep him on!"

There was some sort of high whine over the radio, followed by a moment's silence. Tadashi collapsed into weak sobs. "I-I'll come out," he choked. "Just don't hurt them."

"Tadashi!" Harlock called. "What's going on? Don't go anywhere!"

"C-captain… I-I'm so sorry, Captain."

"Tadashi, where are you!?" Harlock demanded. "We'll come get you!"

Their only answer was a startled cry. The radio crackled.

"I don't have his position yet!" Tochiro gasped.

"Zero…" the captain whispered before his voice broke into a yell. "Zero! You're there, aren't you? Talk to me, Zero!"

Tadashi screamed in pain, and the radio cut off with a crash of static.

The two men waited for it to return, waited for an answer.

"Where is it?" Harlock questioned hoarsely. "Where are they?"

"I have a seven-hundred mile radius."

"Just tell me where," the captain hissed. "I'm going to get my cook."

* * *

**Good luck with that, Cap.**


	6. Father Awakens

**Um, well. Enjoy your read?**

* * *

Harlock counted each day as a loss. Every passing day gave Tadashi a smaller chance of being alive. His only consolation was that they were closing in. Their seven-hundred mile radius was mostly rural housing. They checked off each one, making certain of its occupants and the lack of a matching space cruiser.

By the end of the first day, they'd already covered the first eighth of the area. Kei worked without rest. They were constantly moving. Harlock waited to hear a yell that they'd found it. Any minute now. Surely.

Everyone was stressed and exhausted. The entire ship held a dark air. After three days, he asked the doctor to make sure Kei slept before she passed out. After she woke up from her drug-induced rest, she screamed at her captain until she was hoarse. Then she collapsed in tears.

It was a long five days, and it was a good thing they allowed Kei to stay up through the next night.

"Wait!" she cried as the sun began to rise on the sixth morning. "Go back to 27-R!"

"There's nothing in that section," Harlock frowned at the map.

"What's up, Kei?" Tochiro called over their link to the Queen Emeraldas.

The young girl stared furiously at her console. "There's nothing listed there, but… There is something there. There's a cruiser in front of a house."

Harlock stared at her, unable to properly understand. They'd…found something?

"Then let's go to 27-R!" Tochiro squeaked excitedly.

"Right," the captain nodded slowly. "Let's go."

They'd passed over that sector and the few surrounding it because nothing had shown up on their scans or the planets' servers. Perhaps part of Zero's mind knew he needed to hide, because he was doing a good job of it.

Harlock found himself preparing to deal with bodies. He wasn't sure how many, but he was certain that they'd be there. Whether or not Tadashi and Maetel would be in that group… Well, he could still hope.

The area of 27-R was mostly rolling fields filled with tall grasses. It was toward the edge of their radius, and as far as they could tell, the lone house they neared was the only one in it. A basic cruiser was parked outside, the exact type they'd been searching for.

"Everyone, stay on the ship," Harlock ordered as they began to land. "I'll call anyone if we need you. Tochiro, Emeraldas and I will go for now." He'd considered leaving off the lady captain, but he was sure she'd assert herself in the group whether he wanted her there or not.

Kei, Rebi and the doctor all seemed opposed to the idea of staying put, but after glancing between each other, they all kept quiet.

Both ships landed within 100 yards of the home, kicking up a flurry of the surrounding grass and dirt. The high wails of howling dogs greeted the trio as the stepped out onto the solid ground.

"Uh," Tochiro attempted as his longer-legged friends immediately started toward the home. "Do we have a plan if it is him?"

"Sit him down and ask for answers," Harlock responded.

"You say that like he'll cooperate with us," Emeraldas countered.

"We'll see." The Arcadia's captain beat his fist against the door, the female captain throwing him a curious glance for it.

"May not be his house," Tochiro noted. "We don't need to go barging in."

All three held no doubt that it was his home, and when no one immediately answered the knocking, the red-head slammed her boot just below the doorknob. She ignored the scolding from the two men, glancing around the empty living room.

"Think anyone's home?" the short man frowned.

A howl of protest answered them. "No!" Tadashi demanded, suddenly stumbling out of the mouth of the hall, a pair of scissors clutched in his hands.

"Come back here!" Zero demanded, rushing after him

Despite Harlock's relief at the sight of his cook alive, both he and Emeraldas drew their weapons, aiming for the elder male as he grabbed the boy.

"I am not getting a hair…cut…" Tadashi stopped his struggling, stilling in the former captain's arms. Zero too paused in shock, finding himself at the mercy of the pirate captains.

"Put him down, Zero," Harlock demanded.

The surprise in the taller male's eyes morphed to anger. "Excuse you. Why are you in my house?"

"He's hopeless," Emeraldas snarled. "Get over here, Tadashi. Stab him if you need to." She nodded to the scissors in his hand.

"What?" the boy called distantly. He appeared smaller than the last time his captain had seen him. His arm was bound in a makeshift cast, his skin held a ghostly pallor, and his hair was an unkempt mess, falling into his vision. Harlock wondered how he could possibly see.

"What is wrong with you?" Zero scowled.

"Come here, kid," Tochiro urged the confused cook.

"W-what's going on?" Tadashi questions shakily.

The pirates hesitated, glancing between each other. "You don't have to keep up the act or anything, kid," Tochiro attempted. "We're here. We'll take care of you."

"I-I don't understand," the boy choked. He shook his head furiously, his bangs flying out of place.

Harlock winced visibly as he caught sight of his crewman's left eye. The sclera was a sickening blood red, while the pupil was a glassy white. Some sort of brute force had hit his crewman hard enough to ruin the boy's eye. The captain readjusted the grip in his gun. "Let's talk," he requested. "Let's just all sit down, put away our weapons and talk."

"Why in the hell should I do that!?" Zero roared.

"Look at me, Zero," the Arcadia's captain commanded, slowly reholstering his gun. "You know me."

"What are you…talking about?"

"Where's Maetel?" Emeraldas questioned in a mounting rage.

"W-who?" Zero took a step back, holding onto the boy as a life raft.

"Where are they, Zero?" the female captain continued. "Where are all those people?"

"What people?" The man's voice was weakening.

"Slow down, Emeraldas," Harlock snapped.

"He's going to answer me! Where is Maetel, Zero!?"

With another retreating step, the man's back hit the wall. Tadashi glanced around, lost and confused. As the captains continued to argue, the danger and tension in the room rising, the cook could only be certain that the gun in the female's hand would be fired soon. "L-Leave Daddy alone!" he screamed. Despite Zero letting go of the boy, Tadashi turned and clung to the man's pant leg, shaking in terror along with his father.

The room grew silent, both captains at a loss. "Tadashi," Tochiro called. "You…you know who we are, don't you?"

"No!" the boy wailed, burying his face against his father's side. "Leave us alone!" Zero placed a protecting arm around the young pirate.

"God, they're both delusional," Emeraldas whispered.

Harlock blinked in realization. They'd gone about this completely the wrong way, and now there was little chance for Zero to cooperate. "Where's your wife?" he questioned.

"Why the hell should I tell you that?" the man spat.

"This is her sister." The captain nodded to Emeraldas. "She's been looking for her."

"M-my wife doesn't have a sister."

"She does, Zero."

"Why do you know my name? W-who are you? J-just l-leave us alone!" The shaking rapidly overtook his limbs, and he slid down the wall to sit at its base. His hands clasped tightly into his hair as he tried to fight back the tremors.

"Daddy!?" Tadashi cried worriedly. He grabbed for his father's arm, tugging gently in a bid for attention.

"You remember, Zero," Harlock insisted. If he could snap the elder out of this, surely he could bring his cook back to reality easily. "Don't give up on reality. Look at me!"

"I don't understand," the former captain whimpered. "I don't understand. Leave me alone."

"Stop it!" Tadashi pleaded, tears filling his eyes. "W-we're happy. Just leave us alone. I-it's okay, Daddy. Don't listen to them."

"This isn't going to work, Harlock," Tochiro sighed. "We have to do something else."

"Let's just end his misery," Emeraldas offered evenly. "Take the boy and calm him down. I'll take care of Zero."

"Give me more time!" the Arcadia's captain demanded. "Zero! Zero…I'm sorry." He slowly started forward, much to the boy's horror. Tadashi rushed to stand defensively in front of his father, holding the scissors as though they could be a useful weapon. But as Harlock's hand moved toward him, he flinched away in terror.

"I'm sorry, Tadashi," the captain murmured, placing his hand to the top of the cowering boy's hair.

The small brunet slowly peered toward his captain with his lone good eye. "Just leave us alone," he repeated brokenly. "Why are you hurting Daddy?"

"I'm not going to hurt him. I just want to talk to him."

Tadashi hesitated a moment before slipping back. He seated himself beside his father, curling up to lean against the trembling man. Harlock knelt in front of his old friend, feeling truly helpless. "I'm sorry…that I left you behind," he whispered. "You had nothing, and I just left you there alone. I understand – you just wanted to be happy, and there was nothing there for you. That was why you did this, isn't it? You ran and trapped yourself in your past. If there's something left, if you can just come back, then you can come with us. We'll take you to Arcadia."

"Arcadia?" Zero breathed, his form stilling. His hands slipped from his hair, and foggy eyes came into view, clearing at the sight of the man in front of him. Tears poured down his cheeks, framing his pained smile. "Harlock."

"Hey, Captain," the younger sighed, his smile mirroring his friend's. "I'm sorry."

Zero shook his head. "What for? I'm the one who's sorry. God, I'm so sorry. E-everything I've done… Dear God…"

"Come with us." Harlock offered his hand. "We'll help you. I won't let you give up again."

With an exhausted sigh, the Independent took hold of the pirate's hand, but before they could stand, he pulled himself forward. "Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry," he murmured, holding tightly to his rival. "We sound like broken records, don't we?" he laughed weakly.

Harlock blinked in confusion as the elder male slipped away, falling back against the wall. Finally he noticed what Zero had done, and he lunged forward, but the former captain was quicker. He brought the gun up, placing it against the pirate's forehead. "Back away," he requested.

"You're not going to shoot me."

"You think I won't? I promised I would, and your death will just be one more on my conscience. It won't make a difference. I don't care anymore."

"What are you planning to do?" Harlock growled, taking a slow step back as he stood.

"I told you to live, Harlock," Zero smiled. "You can't do that if you're looking after me. I was never your responsibility. I have my own life, and my sins are on my shoulders. Don't you dare try to take that burden. You've got enough already."

He looked to Emeraldas, at the rage in her eyes. "She's downstairs with the rest, through the dining room. I know there's nothing that I can do to apologize. She deserved so much better."

Tochiro grabbed her gun, lowering it. Zero offered him a thankful smile before turning to the confused boy at his side. "Come here, little one."

"Is everything going to be okay, Daddy?" Tadashi frowned, crawling into his father's lap.

"Everything's going to be fine." The man placed a hand beneath his son's chin, urging him to look him in the eye. "I'm so happy you could be saved. I suppose it's selfish of me to say, but I'm so happy I found you. You're so strong. You're an amazing young man, and I'm proud to call you my son, even if it was never real."

"But, Daddy…"

"I've always wanted to hear that," the man hummed contentedly, bringing the boy to his chest in a gentle hug. "Thank you so much for giving that to me, but you need to wake up now. I know when you do, you'll hate me for everything I've put you through, but I want you to know that I truly did love you. I wish I could have met you as myself from the beginning."

"I-I love you too," Tadashi responded in confusion, allowing his father to sigh with a note of joy.

"Live for me. All of you, live. Find your beautiful Arcadia. Maybe I can find my own." He buried his face in his son's unkempt hair. Poor boy still needed a haircut, he thought with a light smile. "Close your eyes, little one," he breathed soothingly.

"Alright," the child murmured, leaning easily against Zero as the man's warmth began to make him drowsy.

"Don't stray from your Arcadia. Remember, I love you, and I never wanted to hurt you."

"Please, Zero," the pirate captain attempted one last time as his friend placed the gun to his temple.

"Say goodbye, Harlock," the Independent requested.

"See ya later," Tochiro sniffled.

Emeraldas offered a silent nod.

The pirate locked eyes with his old rival. "I hope you can find peace, Zero," the younger whispered. "Don't worry. I'll take care of him for you."

"Thank you. It was nice to be able to see one more time." His calm, clear eyes remained on the pirate as he pulled the trigger.

Tadashi jolted back into wakefulness at the sound of a gunshot, but he found himself torn away from the comfortable warmth of his father. "Daddy?" he called in confusion. The strange man with the eye patch was now cradling him. "Hey, put me down," he demanded nervously.

"Tadashi," the man said. "Don't look back."

"Why do you keep calling me that? Put me down! Daddy!" he called in desperation. The man with the eye patch kept a tight hold on him, carrying him toward the door. "No! I can't go outside! Daddy will get upset! I have to wear my jacket if I go outside!"

"Is he going to be alright?" the lady in red questioned.

"He will," the male answered firmly, his arms shaking in anger as he held the thin boy. "I'll take care of you, Tadashi."

"Daddy!" Tadashi cried, covering his ears and curling in on himself. "Daddy, I don't like these people. Make them go away!" His small form wracked with uncontrolled trembling. "J-just leave us a-alone. W-we're g-gonna be happy. We can be h-happy."

* * *

**Hmm...**


	7. Father Remains

**Someday I'll write a multi-chapter fic where no one gets** **killed or mutilated or has severe PTSD. It'll be a really boring story though.**

**Have fun with your reading and whatnot.**

* * *

Maetel's face was ashen and rigid, no flickers of the life that had once been there. There were dozens of women just like her, and she was the only one they could name.

Emeraldas cleaned up her sister's body as best she could and brought her outside to escape the wretched basement. Tochiro sat quietly by her side as she grieved in stone-faced silence. "We were too late," she said finally, brushing a stray golden hair from Maetel's still face. Her kind half, the half she'd been told to protect was no more. Suddenly the world seemed to have lost the small amount of gentleness it had left.

"We always seem to be," Tochiro sighed. "I'm sorry."

Turning, she embraced him, burying her sorrows in his shoulder. "Don't apologize. Never apologize when it's not your fault."

Harlock sat in the thick, stale air of the living room, a smoky gray dog seated at his feet. The other two wrestled across the carpet with squeaky, immature growls. The captain wasn't exactly sure what to do with the three dogs or the dozens of bodies downstairs.

He turned over the Dragoon in his hands. Tochiro didn't want it, and its owner was lying on the couch behind the coffee table Harlock had seated himself on. They would put the young man and Maetel to rest together, but as for the others, the best they could do was turn them over to the planet's authorities and hope all the victims were handled properly.

Their deaths, even from the glances he'd caught from just looking around the room, were all brutal, but they weren't particularly varied. The strangling and twisted necks were in the majority, though the stabbings took up a good portion as well. Zero wasn't violent. Sure he could fight, he could kill, but the pirate had always considered him soft in comparison to himself.

The pirate breathed a sigh, thinking of the boy who'd gone hoarse from screaming at him. Dr. Ban had been forced to sedate the cook to so much as do a simple exam. The captain was afraid this disease of the mind would continue to spread to his allies. But if he could get Tadashi back, maybe he could stop it from becoming any more of a curse than it already was.

Emeraldas appeared in the doorway. He held up the gun in an unspoken question, but she shook her head. "Give it to the boy when he's well again. He can get some use out of it," she nodded. "I'm going to take Maetel and her charge with me."

"Alright, I'll have Kei contact the planet government." He'd already taken Zero's body.

"And the dogs?" The spotted one had begun pawing at her knees for attention, and she reached down to carefully pat its head.

"I suppose I'll take them. They must be Tadashi's in part." There had been two dead adult dogs in the basement as well, the most recent kills of the bunch, but the pups were all healthy and mostly well-behaved.

"But will having him around something from here keep him in that state?"

"I don't know, but I can't just leave them, and they might help me at least win his trust for now."

"Fair enough, but you have a cat, don't you?"

"They're still young. I'm sure the Mii-kun will keep them in their place. I'll find better homes for them than the Arcadia, but we'll keep them for now at least." He stood, picking up the dog at his feet.

"Then I'll be heading out," she said as he passed her. "Take care of yourself, Harlock."

He nodded. "Same to you. And I'll keep Tochiro out of trouble."

A flicker of a smile crossed her face, a silent thanks. Then he stepped out with the dogs rushing around his feet to follow, yipping up at him.

Outside, his friend was crying over Maetel. He must have been keeping a brave face for Emeraldas. The captain walked up to his side and bowed his head over the quiet woman.

"How many friends do we have to lose?" the short man sniffled.

"I can't say. All we can do is fight to stop it."

Tochiro nodded as he removed his glasses to wipe his eyes.

"Say your goodbyes," Harlock said. "We'll be heading out soon."

"Y-yeah, we should get going."

The captain gave one final glance over the fallen woman before turning away. Yes, she'd deserved so much better. Her and all the others. He hoped after all she'd been through, she could continue her travels through the stars in her next life as she wished, with the boy alongside her.

Back on the Arcadia, Rebi had been pouting, but at the sight of the dogs as they trailed alongside her captain toward the infirmary made her forget her troubles. "Puppies!" she squealed. She ran to greet them, giggling as the white one began to lick her face.

"How are things going, Rebi?" Harlock questioned, happy to see someone unaffected by the whole mess.

"I don't know! Grandpa won't let me go see Brother, but there are puppies! We're keeping them, aren't we, Harlock?"

"For a while."

"We should keep them forever," she grinned, hugging tightly to the wriggling white pup.

"Let's just see if you can take care of those two for me for now. Keep them out of trouble."

"What are their names?"

"I'm not sure. I'll ask Tadashi when he's well again."

"Okay, I'll take good care of them." She jumped up, calling at them to follow. The two females eagerly gave chase as Harlock stepped through the infirmary door.

When he caught sight of the young cook, he began to wish that the boy was still asleep. He was curled into a tight ball, shaking wretchedly, his bad arm in a new plaster cast. The doctor must have had troubles, because a white strap tied the boy's good wrist to the bed's railing.

"Tadashi," Harlock called, but his crewman flinched away from the name, hugging his knees tighter. With each clash of the captain's spurs as he neared the bed, Tadashi cowered away more. "You don't need to be afraid of me," the man offered. "I'm not upset with you, and I'm not going to harm you."

A glistening eye slowly peered out before Tadashi gasped and fell forward to his knees. "Captain!" He held his bound wrist out as far as her could toward the pirate.

For a moment, Harlock was allowed to feel relieved. Then the dog jumped from his grip and ran across the bed to its owner. The boy held onto the maturing pup for dear life. "W-where are Rebi and Kei?" he demanded from the stranger staring down at him.

"They're…" the pirate slowly understood, his hope falling to pieces. "You mean your dogs."

"Where are they?"

"They're being taken care of. Don't worry."

Still, no anger or distrust or fear faded from the boy's expression. "Where's Daddy!" he screamed.

The captain paused, unsure what to say.

The truth, he decided. Tadashi needed the truth. That was what would bring him back. As Harlock considered his response, Dr. Ban returned in a rush. "Don't yell, boy," the doctor huffed. "Your blood pressure is high enough already. I don't want to have to give you another anesthetic."

Tadashi wasn't deterred. "I want my dad! Where is he!?"

"He's gone, Tadashi," Harlock responded honestly.

"What?" The young cook was taken aback, confused by the possibility.

"Captain, I think we should wait to tell him that," the doctor advised. "We need to keep his stress level down."

"So we're just going to lie to him and go along with his delusions?"

"H-he's not gone," the boy stuttered. As he spoke, his voice rose to a hysteric trill. "He's not. Y-you took me away. Take me back! Take me back home! My Dad-!" He doubled over suddenly, clutching at his bad eye and gasping in pain. The dog at his side whined, pawing at his legs.

"That eye's going to need to come out," the doctor sighed as he moved to prepare a sedative.

"You can't fix it?" Harlock frowned as he tentatively placed a hand to his cook's shoulder. Tadashi didn't notice through his pain. It seemed his eye would burst against his hand at any moment.

"It's not just any subconjunctival hemorrhage," Dr. Ban explained. "His eye was physically crushed, and the lense was ruptured. It's not going to be working again." He flicked the syringe and tested it. "I already had to rebreak his arm, because it was really just an emergency wrap job holding it. It hadn't been set properly. That will take weeks to heal. And as if that wasn't enough, he's pushed himself to hypertension, and you're not helping."

The captain found himself shoved out of the way for the doctor to administer the sedative. "If you're going to talk to him," the older man scolded, "don't tell him things that are going to stress him out. At least wait until I've finished patching him together for that."

"But what about his mental state?" Harlock questioned. "What if I can fix that?"

"The human mind is an unpredictable thing. We can't say now what will be better for him in the long run." The boy's shaking began to fade, and his breathing eased. Ban laid him back against the pillows, and the dog curled up at his side. "You can talk to him now, but go easy on him. If you scare him, he'll only see us as his enemies, and it may be hard to bring him back."

"I understand. I'll take things slow."

The doctor grumbled and shook his head, still disapproving. "And don't let Rebi in," he said as he headed for the door. "Girl will only throw a fit and make things worse at this point."

The captain was thankful he'd distracted her with dogs to avoid any conflict, as Rebi was not going to be happy when she found out her brother wasn't all in one piece.

"Alright," he called down to the drowsy boy. "I don't want to stress you out, so let's just take things one at a time."

"I want my daddy," Tadashi whimpered.

"You're too old to be saying something so childish to begin with. Now listen to me and answer my questions. This isn't going to be difficult on you, I promise."

The cook sobered into silence, his body heavy with the weight of the drug. He wanted to go home. That was all. Why did these people have to do this to him? He and his father had never hurt anyone.

"First off, I just want you to tell me your name," the man with the eye patch requested.

"It's rude to ask someone for his name without giving yours first," Tadashi frowned.

The man sighed, nodding in understanding. "Well you've heard it before, but my name is Harlock."

"Daddy said you were an outlaw."

"I am, but you haven't given me your name," the pirate reminded him.

"I don't want to."

"You don't want to? Or you can't? Do you know your own name?"

The boy bit his tongue. What an odd question. Of course he knew his own name. "I do. I'm little one."

"That's not a name, not your name."

"Yes it is. Daddy calls me little one."

"Your name is Tadashi Monono. I'm sure that rings some sort of bell in your mind when you hear it."

"No," the cook whispered, his voice trembling.

"You flinch every time I say it. It must mean something to you."

"No, I'm little one. I don't like that name. Stop saying it." His good hand covered his eyes to ease the pounding behind his temples. "Just leave me alone, mister. You make my head hurt."

"Did you name your dogs?"

"Y-yes." The boy wondered what the man in the eye patch was even trying to say. What did names matter anyway? The more this man talked, the more things hurt – his head, his eye, his arm. Everything hurt.

"You named them Captain, Rebi and Kei. Why's that?"

"I don't know, mister. They're dogs. You can name a dog whatever you want."

"True." Tadashi's delusions were much deeper engrained than Harlock had expected. He needed to change tactics a bit. "How did you get those injuries?" he questioned.

"I don't know," the boy murmured distantly. "What injuries?"

"Your arm's in a cast for one thing."

"It is?" Tired, hazy eyes wandered to the thick plaster holding his elbow together. "Oh."

"That was from Zero, I'm sure," Harlock sighed, "since you can't remember."

"Daddy would never hurt me…not unless I deserved it."

The captain blinked, momentarily taken aback. "No father has the right to break your arm or ruin your eye, no matter what you did."

"No, I did something bad, and Daddy was upset. He was right."

"So you do remember having your arm broken?"

"I don't know. I don't know." His eyelids had fallen heavily, and his voice drifted as though he were already dreaming. "If someone makes Daddy unhappy, he should hurt them. We only want to be happy, mister."

Harlock scowled, trying to piece together something. He needed a checkmate – something that Tadashi couldn't explain away with fantasies. "Zero went through a great deal of unhappiness. He suffered and bled, but he would never have lashed out just for his own gain, so don't mock his death by telling me otherwise."

"His death?" The boy found his grasp in the waking world. Death? No, Daddy was still alive. This man was crazy, and he wasn't listening.

"He lost his wife and his child during the wars with the machine men, back when you were still an infant. They died on Earth. You've never even been to Earth, Tadashi."

"What? No, I-I've been… I mean, I live there."

"You were on Terra-9. You've never set foot on Earth."

"I-I live on Earth," Tadashi repeated, slowly becoming frantic through the hazy effects of the drug.

"Alright then, name all the continents for me. Anyone who lives on Earth should know at least that much."

"Continents? N-not everyone knows…"

"Then tell me what a pigeon looks like, or a deer."

"A pigeon is…it's a bird, a-and a deer… Stop it, mister. Stop it." The shaking returned as he placed his working hand over his ear. But there was no blocking out the words.

"You've never lived on Earth, Tadashi. There was no greenery on the planet we found you on. That was why your brothers and sisters died. Don't you remember? You became the Arcadia's cook. You wanted to learn how to fight against the Illumidas! Look at me!" The boy's eye was wild in terror as it shot obediently to the glaring man. "I am your captain, and you should call me as such. Zero was never your father. Now he's dead, just like he wanted to be, so wake up, Tadashi!"

Harlock instantly realized he'd made a mistake, as something snapped within the trembling boy. His timid fear broke away to rage, and against the will of the drug, he sat up, lunging for his captain. "You hurt my daddy, didn't you!? I am going to _kill_ you!"

The restraint on his working arm wasn't enough to keep him from struggling to get to the man, his eyes wild, a feral growl in his throat. "You _bastard_! You are going to pay!" With his blood pressure further spiked, blood began to pour from his left eye, though he took no notice.

Harlock attempted to grab the cook's shoulders, but Tadashi simply turned and sank his teeth into the pirate captain's left wrist. "Let go," the elder warned through a wince as he raised his right hand. Being patient had failed him, but there was always the chance that hitting sense into the boy would not.

"Harlock, what are you doing!?" Tochiro cried. This hadn't been how he'd hoped to be greeted when he stepped into the infirmary. Rushing over to the bed, he scrambled up onto it and placed his arms firmly but carefully around the vengeful boy. "Now, I know you're upset, but biting isn't always the answer. Take it easy, kid. I'm sure you're tired."

The short man gently pet the cook's head, much like he would have calmed down an angry cat, and Tadashi's anger faded away just long enough for the drug to hit him like a tidal wave. Releasing his brutal hold on the captain, he slumped over against the engineer in an exhausted daze.

"There you go," Tochiro hummed. "Just gotta be nice to the poor thing."

"Being nice isn't going to get us anywhere," Harlock countered, rubbing the bite marks on his wrists.

"Sure it is. Go cool off a little and think. Isn't that how you won Zero over?"

The captain winced at the thought. He hadn't won Zero over, not really. He'd brought the Independent back to reality for just an instant, and that had been his downfall.

"Don't take out your frustrations on the kid," the short man scolded. "We'll get him back. Look at him, he's no threat." Tadashi senses were so dulled by the sedative that he didn't mind lying against the engineer. Actually, he had no idea what was happening, but he was warm and comfortable, so he didn't care.

"He's no threat now," Harlock countered. "But once he's fully awake, if he's not tied down, he may become homicidal."

"What did you even do?" Tochiro sighed. "How about you just let the doctor and Kei handle him for a while? Maybe even Rebi can help out. He might be upset, and he might lash out, but he's a good kid, and he's got a good head. If we treat him right, he'll work through this with us."

"I need to make preparations for us to leave," the captain said curtly.

"You don't have to take on everything, Harlock," his friend offered. "Not everything is your fault, and you shouldn't think that it is."

"Maybe, the captain murmured, "but I'd rather shoulder these burdens than force them on someone else." The boy had begun to doze, and his guardian tentatively reached out and wiped some of the blood from his face. "Watch over him until the doctor returns. Then we should prepare for Zero."

"Should we let the kid see him?"

"A boy should be allowed to attend his father's funeral. Maybe it will make it all real for him."

* * *

**Slapping may solve panic attacks, Harlock, but it's not going to get you anywhere with lil homicidal PTSD cook. Good thing Tochiro is cuddly.**

**Thanks for the reviews, loves! Ahh, I really appreciate them.**


	8. Father Rests

**Gosh, I am tired, and endings are hard. There were a couple of other things I could have done with this fic, but I didn't want for it to drag out unnecessarily so I ended it here. Now I'm gonna curl up and sleep for a couple weeks and maybe write some more nonsensical things. Thank you so much for reading. I really do appreciate it.**

* * *

"Did you know that Zero used to be the captain of a spaceship like this one?" Tochiro offered, smiling. He hadn't been referring to the Independent as Tadashi's father, but he didn't correct the boy when the weary cook said "daddy" either.

"No," the young male murmured. He lay on his side, his arms around his snoozing mutt. Sadness and the restraint binding his wrist had made him quite placid, but only for the happy-go-lucky engineer and the little girl who always looked so worried. He was still testy around everyone else, especially the man with the eye patch. He hated that man.

"Well, I guess it wasn't quite like this one," the short man mused. "No spacecraft is quite like this one. And he certainly didn't have a pirate vessel… I mean, his ship was one of a kind like this one, but it wasn't supposed to be one of a kind. It was a part of a fleet initially, and there was this one time…" He shook his head, bringing himself back to his initial point. "Anyway, he used to be a captain, and he was a pretty great captain I'd say."

"Why did he stop being a captain?"

Tochiro hesitated, kneading his hands in his lap. "Ah well, that's… His crew got attacked, and it…it didn't end well for him."

Tadashi mulled it over for a moment, trying to understand. "Was he happy when he was a captain?"

"Yes," the elder frowned, nodding slowly. "I'd say he was. You seem to talk about that a lot – being happy."

A stretch of silence held the air. The boy took a few slow breaths, the weight in his now-lone eye growing. His left eye had been removed and the lid sewn shut, though he hadn't bothered to take much notice of it. "Daddy always looked so sad," he said finally. "He always looked so tired, even when he was smiling. But I just wanted to see him happy. I thought we were going to be…and then you came."

Tochiro sighed, rubbing his hand over his jaw in thought. "I think the reason he looked upset was because he'd done so much that he'd regretted. He felt such overwhelming guilt, and you were his saving grace. You accepted him, and I wonder if that was all he'd wanted. He wanted someone to love him because he hated himself." He broke from his musings as he realized the doe eye staring at him had filled with tears. "A-ah! But I'm just thinking out loud. You don't need to think that."

"But why would Daddy hate himself?" Tadashi whimpered. "He never did anything wrong."

The engineer scowled as he realized he'd thrown himself into a corner again. "Every man has his sins. Zero's were just… Did you know about the basement?" The words tumbled from his mouth before he could stop them. He scrambled to think of a way to gloss over the question, but the damage was already done.

Tadashi's eye was wide, void of emotion and focus. "Don't go in the basement," he whispered. "You're not allowed down there."

Tochiro was sure he absolutely did not need to press this any farther. "Uh…Why not? What's in the basement?"

The boy began to shake, trembling wildly as fear filled his distant eye. He didn't answer, and he wouldn't answer any further questions or attempts at consolation. Instead he curled himself into a ball and hid from everything, refusing to hear or see the outside world. It was only when Rebi arrived with the other two dogs in tow that he was finally coaxed back into reality. But by then, Tochiro had thought best to leave and had gone to see his irritable friend.

"You just can't talk about any of what was really going on without him closing himself off," the engineer sighed, messing his hair.

Harlock nodded slowly, staring out into the void of space from his seat on the bridge.

"This is a good spot," the short male offered. His friend nodded again. "Do we have a casket?"

"Don't we always?"

Unfortunately they did, just for such an occasion.

"You know we're going to have to actually untie the kid from his bed if he's going to see the funeral," Tochiro noted. Funeral wasn't exactly the right word. It was more of a send off really, but funeral sounded better.

Harlock had given up on facing his cook for the time being. Every attempt had only led to the boy screaming and causing his blood pressure to spike. "Perhaps he'll be so caught up with Zero that he won't try to kill me," the captain muttered.

"Er, that's the spirit. Look, I'm sure you can get him to like you again. He just needs some time. In his mind, his father just died. It's only natural that he'd be upset."

A dark scowl overtook the captain's expression. "But nothing about this is natural. The way he's acting isn't natural. It's all a delusion and a very unhealthy one at that. If we don't stop this, he could wind up just like Zero."

"You think he's going to get worse? Harlock, he hasn't been this way for very long. Ban said he probably put up this barrier in order to protect himself. Once he realizes we're no threat, he'll come back to us. I think the problem is the way we're treating him. He's like a prisoner. Let's just let him go back to his old routine. He hasn't been in his kitchen in ages. Maybe just letting him go in there will help something."

"We'll need to make sure he doesn't attempt to stab me with a kitchen knife though," the captain mused, not looking particularly worried about the idea.

"That is kind of your own fault. You didn't exactly start off on the right foot."

"He doesn't like Kei either, and she hasn't done anything," Harlock argued. So, alright, he'd made a mistake or two. It wasn't as though he hadn't tried to fix them. Tadashi just preferred screaming at him to, well, anything. The captain wasn't one for bribery, but he would have attempted it if he'd had anything he thought the cook might be interested in.

"He doesn't like Kei because she helps the doctor give him his shots," Tochiro reminded his friend dryly. "The funeral's probably not going to be the best place to try talking to him, but who knows? Leave him alone for a bit and see how he's taking it. Then maybe you can approach him."

"We'll see," Harlock muttered. All these "maybes" were making his head hurt. He wanted for something to be certain. No matter how sick Tadashi was, he couldn't leave the boy. He couldn't leave someone behind again. No matter what it took, he would keep his promises, and he would take care of his cook.

* * *

Besides Tochiro, Rebi was the only person whose company Tadashi enjoyed. It was nice to just watch her giggle and coo as the dogs sloppily covered her face with kisses. Really, that was why he liked her. She could smile. She could laugh.

She was happy.

"We have to give them new names!" she decided without warning while the pups continued to try eating her hair.

"Why's that?" he asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion, and so he could see her better.

"Duh! I am Rebi, and big sister is Kei, and the captain is the captain! It'll get too confusing if they have names like our names."

He nodded, slowly understanding. "Daddy told me to name them, but you can name them too."

"This one should be Gray." She pointed to the gray, having already decided on their names. "And this one is White and this one is Spot."

"She has a lot of spots though."

"Then we can call her Spots."

Tadashi stared at the three newly-named dogs. Such childish names. Just like… "Their dad's name was Black," he murmured.

"Then having a daughter named White is perfect," Rebi giggled, poking the pup's nose. "Where is their dad?"

"He…" The boy's eye hollowed. "Daddy had to put him down."

"O-oh…"

He picked up his favorite little gray pup, bringing it close to his chest. "Daddy got me the dogs because he wanted to make me happy. No one should ever be lonely. Domino would have been lonely without Black, so Daddy put her down too."

Rebi shrank back, worried about the dark murmur to his words. She decided a change of subject would do them good. "Your eye is creepy," she interjected, jumping from the bed to grab a roll of bandages.

"It is?"

She nodded as she scrambled back up onto the bed and began needlessly wrapping his face in order to cover up the ugly stitches. He offered no rebuttal, even as she tied the front with a bow. Her eager grin faded as she realized she wasn't going to get a response.

"I'm sorry it's creepy," he offered, unsure why she was upset. He never knew what it was, but he must have done things to upset her, because she'd stop smiling and laughing. He didn't want to take away her happiness. She needed to be happy.

"Why won't you come back?" she whimpered, tears welling up in her innocent eyes. "Come back, Brother. Y-you're supposed to get mad. Make fun of me, or call me names. Pick me up and spin me around. Make me a snack and then tuck me in for bed. Please, Brother."

"I'm not your brother," he frowned, placing his hand to her cheek and wiping away her tears. "I think you have me mistaken for someone else."

"No, no," she choked brokenly. "You're my big brother. You just need to come back. Everyone misses you. You don't need to be scared anymore, Brother." She placed her arms around him, burying her eyes against his shoulder. "Mr. Tochiro and Harlock will protect you. A-and me – I'll protect you too. No one's gonna hurt you ever again."

"I'm sorry," he whispered for whatever he must have done. Perhaps no one around him was allowed to be happy.

She didn't say anymore to him. She just left, still crying with sobs shaking her. The bandages came untied and fell out of place.

He wanted to follow her, to comfort her and to see the outside. This room was his prison. They were keeping him here for some reason. Trying to understand it made his head ache. He wanted to go home, but his father wouldn't be there waiting for him. His father was dead because of that man with the eye patch.

When the man came into his room without warning, he wanted to yell at him. But he was tired, and Mr. Tochiro was there too, smiling timidly at him. "Hey, Tadashi," he greeted while the man with the eye patch averted his gaze. "We thought you might want to say goodbye to Zero."

"What?" the boy questioned airily.

"We're having a small funeral for an old friend," the taller man said, finally looking at him. "Would you like to come?"

Tadashi didn't understand, but if it really was his father's funeral, he had to say goodbye. The thought made him feel hollow, made his entire body ache, but he nodded. He felt dazed at they freed his arm from the strap that had bound him. Every movement seemed automatic.

He vaguely took in the halls of the ship as he followed the two men through them. An odd sense of déjà vu washed over him, but it was just another thing he didn't understand. And once the closed casket came into view, every other thought left him. He placed his hand to the outside, afraid to ask them to open it.

"He wouldn't want for you to cry," Mr. Tochiro said behind him, "but he'd appreciate that you cared enough to."

Tadashi blinked, slowly bringing up his hand to wipe away the tears he hadn't even realized had begun to fall. "Why did you kill him?" he asked, turning to the quiet man who evenly met his gaze.

"He was looking for his place to die," the man answered softly. "He finally found it, and I couldn't take that from him. It wasn't my place to do so." He took a step forward, kneeling in front of the boy. "I think, had he truly gotten to meet you, he would have adored you, because he did love kids. And he probably would have yelled at me, because he said I was no good with them and under no circumstances was I allowed to have any." He sighed, pulling a small scrap of fabric from his pocket and tying it around the boy's face. "I never was one for listening to his orders though."

Tadashi shakily traced his fingers across the soft, black patch covering his eyelid. He remained quiet, unsure what to make of the man's words. All he could think was that maybe he wouldn't upset little Rebi now.

"I'm sorry," the man offered, his hand coming to rest on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry for what happened – all of it. The blame is mine, and you shouldn't have suffered for it. You don't need to feel scared, and you shouldn't apologize for anything."

"Neither should you," Tochiro grumbled.

"W-what are you going to do with Daddy?"

"We're going to let him rest. We'll give him to the stars that he always worked so hard to protect. And now they'll take care of him in return."

"That sounds so lonely," Tadashi whispered, but the pirate shook his head.

"I will never leave one of my friends alone again. Someday I'll join him, but for now his crew should keep him company for me."

"Is he going to be happy?" the crying boy asked, his lips trembling from the effort.

"I'm sure he's very happy, and he'd want for you to be too, so you don't have to cry for him. But if you want to, it's alright."

Once they'd let him go, out among the brilliant stars peppering the space around them, Tadashi had run out of tears. He simply felt drained from it all. There was no home for him to return to.

The tall man held out a hand to him. Hesitantly, he placed his good hand into it and allowed the man to lead him down the halls of the gently-humming ship. He could have pulled away, but he saw no reason to. Nothing would harm him. There was nothing to fear.

"I don't want to force you to remember," Harlock sighed. "And as selfish as it sounds, I don't want you to hate Zero either, even after all that happened to you. You'll decide for yourself, I suppose."

"Where are we going?" his cook questioned nervously. It certainly wasn't the way back to the med bay.

"To everyone's favorite room on the ship," Harlock smiled.

As they walked into the galley, Tadashi looked around as though everything was bothering him, but he allowed himself to be led to the table. He sat down without prompting and watched curiously as the captain moved to the kitchen area.

"I'm a useless cook," he noted as he began to wash a small batch of rice. "But I am better than Tochiro if that counts for anything."

"What?" Tadashi frowned.

"The first time we met, you wanted to kill me. I wouldn't say I'm worth the effort, but I was happy we managed to stop you then, or at least Tochiro did. I'm going to pull a page from his book."

"You don't make any sense."

Harlock nodded. "Are you hungry?"

"A little, I guess," the boy sighed. "I'm really just tired."

By the time the rice was cooked, Tadashi had taken to resting against the tabletop, but the scent of food brought him slowly to life. "It's burnt," he murmured.

"Maybe I should have let you cook it," the captain muttered, somewhat embarrassed. "Guess I really am no better than Tochiro."

"Can't waste it though," the tired voice echoed. "You should never waste food." His chopsticks shook in his hand as he placed a cluster of the rice in his mouth.

"That's why you're such a good cook. That's why you're the Arcadia's cook."

"And we're going to find Arcadia?" Tadashi whispered hopefully.

"We are. We're going to find it, and we're going to be happy."

The cook turned to face his captain, a smile easing onto his face as more tears traced the tired paths on his cheeks. His chopsticks fell to the table as he jumped up to tackle the taller man around the middle. "I'm sorry," he laughed through a sob.

"I told you not to apologize," Harlock reminded him. "You don't have a reason to."

Tadashi's mind was flooded with the past, with thoughts of a woman in mourning clothes, of playing board games and catch, and of a man who always looked so painfully sad, except the fleeting moments that he was called by a lie of a name. The boy suddenly had so many things he wanted to tell his captain, so many things he wasn't sure if his captain would want to hear. Instead he laughed, because there wasn't much else he could do. "You found me," he said.

"I said I would. I said I'd come get you. I'll keep my promises, and I'll protect you." He carefully pulled away, examining his puffy-faced crewman. "Now then, we're behind schedule. Let's find our Arcadia."

"For him too?" Tadashi asked softly.

"Of course," Harlock nodded. "For him, and for all of us."


End file.
